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Golden State Series—California Flag Handicap
Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable’s Indian Peak reaches new heights in the California Flag Handicap at Santa Anita
FAMILY CONNECTIONS CALIFORNIA FLAG ALL DOWNHILL FOR INDIAN PEAK
BY EMILY SHIELDS
O
ne of the most beloved California-breds of the last 20 years was California Flag, a millionaire who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint back before it was ever graded. A former king of the Santa Anita Park turf course, California Flag now has his own stakes race named in his honor, and that event was held Oct. 17 down the same hill where he once reigned.
Longshot Indian Peak prevailed in the $102,000 California Flag Handicap, outgaming favored North County Guy by a head at the wire over the distance of about 6 1⁄2 furlongs. Under jockey Juan Hernandez, the son of Comic Strip—Ms. Booty, by Roar, sat back second last in the nine28
horse feld and rallied widely around his rivals into the lane. He swallowed up the leaders in the last eighth, dueling with North County Guy to the wire. Te 16-1 odds confused Adam Wachtel, who owns Indian Peak in partnership with Gary Barber. “If you were watching the race live,” said Wachtel, “the TVG guys were saying, ‘How can he be that price?’ He had
Brian Koriner presents trophy to Indian Peak’s connections: jockey Juan Hernandez and assistant trainer Jehobany Alvarez
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED ❙ November 2021 ❙ www.ctba.com
a legit excuse when he ran last as the favorite at Del Mar, and before that he just missed in a stakes race. Tis is a seriously talented horse; in hindsight, the odds seem ridiculous.” Wachtel and Barber acquired Indian Peak over the summer and have had him for just three starts. Te 4-year-old gelding, who was bred by Dr. and Mrs. William T. Gray, came with a classy background, as he won the $151,000 Snow Chief Stakes in 2020. He was an attractive prospect for more than his record, however: Te owners already had his sister. “We have his full sister Kukaluka,” Wachtel explained. Her Boisterous daughter California Kook is grade 1-placed, and another daughter, Kookie Gal, won the 2018 Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos. “Indian Peak actually beat California Kook before,” Wachtel said, recalling the Snow Chief Stakes where Indian Peak outran his flly by a half-length. “He had been a little of form recently but was running in tough races. We were glad to be able to buy him.” Broodmare Ms. Booty, who is responsible for the whole line, has a 100% strike rate from seven starters. Her daughter La Fiera, who was born fve years before Indian Peak, won the $100,000 Campanile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in 2015. Her daughters have taken after her; Kukaluka’s two foals to race are both winners, and La Fiera’s only foal to race is a winner. In three seasons of racing, Indian Peak has amassed six wins, three seconds, and a third in 20 starts for earnings of $333,532. With his career still going strong, he has options sprinting or going two turns and has already won on both turf and synthetic. “He’s had a very consistent career,” Wachtel said. “I think you fnd that a lot of horses do well cutting back and coming of the pace down the hill. I really like him.” Jehobany Alvarez, assistant to winning trainer Peter Miller, said after the victory, “We are really, really happy. We knew we had a lot of horse coming into this race, but it was a tough race. We got the right trip and it’s nice to win.”
