Hoosier Philly back to winning ways in Dig A Diamond S.

Hoosier Philly came between horses in upper stretch and then drew off to a sharp victory in Saturday’s $200,000 Dig A Diamond S. at Oaklawn Park.

The 4-year-old filly, by champion sire Into Mischief, was much the best in the one-mile contest. She tracked patiently in fifth to the half-way point, then moved up to third along the rail entering the final turn. She was bottled up around that bend, but when an opening appeared at the top of the stretch, she quickly moved to the lead and drew off with complete authority to win by 3 ¾-lengths in 1:39.33 on a fast track.

“Going into the race Bill Stone, the owner, and myself, were talking about confidence,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “We’ve always known this filly is very talented. She’s shown it in the mornings. I think her last three breezes were all bullet works. But it’s about getting it right in the afternoon. Today was a terrific steppingstone for us and I hope we can continue moving forward.

“She ran a great race. She had to be patient, as did her rider, who did a good job of doing that and then got through, and they kicked clear nicely at the end. I was really proud of her.”

Hoosier Philly earned $108,000 for the win to improve her career record to 5 for 12 for earnings of $845,660. Among her wins are scores in the Golden Rod S. (G2), Rags to Riches S., and Monomoy Girl S.

Hoosier Philly, bred by Candy Meadows LLC, is out of the Tapit mare Tapella. She sold for $510,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling sale.

Into Mischief, who has been the champion sire of North America each of the past five years, is once again atop the list in 2024. His progeny earnings to date of $15.2 million are on a record-breaking pace. His upcoming entries include Leslie’s Rose and Into Champagne in Friday’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Resilience in the Kentucky Derby (G1).