Taptam Looks To Defend Title in Hulman George Stakes
Taptam returns to Hoosier Park Racing & Casino Saturday, Oct. 1, looking to retain the title in the $100,000-added Mari Hulman George Stakes. The race, formerly run under the name of the Wigwam Stakes in 2010, is in its second running and has been added to an already impressive lineup for Indiana Derby Day in which purses exceed $1.4 million over the 12-race program.
Starting from post six, Taptam is not the early morning line favorite for a repeat. Listed at odds of 9-2, the six-year-old daughter of Pleasant Tap will have to contend with the Bob Baffert-trained Freedom Star, who is even odds in the event.
Taptam has not raced since the Aug. 13 Grade III Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park. The Bret Calhoun-trained mare tired in that race and finished back under the direction of rider Jamie Theriot. Theriot will reunite with Taptam for the Hulman George Saturday with hopes of turning in a different outcome.
“(The Gardenia) was a tough race, and it was a one-turn mile,” said Theriot. “It was a totally different race. I think she (Taptam) is more of a two-turn horse. The pace was a little quicker than normal for her. She didn’t have much run that last quarter of a mile. The two turns here will be easier for her and I think she will finish a little better.”
Owned by Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch of Texas, Taptam has 10 career wins in 36 starts. She has pulled in more than $500,000 in earnings and five stakes wins. Sanders bred and raised the Texas-bred mare, which has been in the Calhoun barn her entire career.
“She (Taptam) definitely has a chance,” said Theriot, who has more than 2,100 career wins. “She won here last year in this race. She’s been working well and is going into the race good. She likes this surface and I think she’ll go back into her old form. She’s a horse that wants to be put in the race. She’s easy to ride.”
The entire field for the Hulman George, in post position order with jockey and odds includes Catalina Way (Fernando De La Cruz) 15-1, Afleeting Lady (Jesus Castanon) 20-1, Texas Country Doll (Marlon St. Julien) 8-1, Freedom Star (Martin Pedroza) Even, Differentiate (Terry Thompson) 8-1, Taptam (Jamie Theriot) 9-2, Inner Groove (Corey Lanerie) 12-1, Distorted Love (Julien Leparoux) 5-1. Estimated post time for the Hulman George is 4:14 p.m. EST.
Carded as the ninth race on the program, the Mari Hulman George Stakes honors one of Indiana’s most noted racing personalities Mari Hulman George. Currently the chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, George has been an active participant in the Indiana Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse program since its inception in 1995. She is also very active in philanthropic work and is involved in the rescue of racing Greyhounds. George also owns and operates a breeding farm in her hometown of Terre Haute, Ind.
The Hulman George Stakes kicks off the first leg of the All Stakes Pick 4, which also includes the $100,000-added Michael G. Schaefer Mile (Race 10), the $200,000-added Grade II Indiana Oaks (Race 11), and the $500,000-added Grade II Indiana Derby (Race 12.)