SHELBYVILLE, IN—JUNE 3, 2017—Be Afraid and Manuel Gutierrez rallied late in the race to secure the win and the top qualifying time of the Jaguar Rocket Futurity Trials at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino Saturday.

The duo covered the 300-yard dash in a time of :15.757 seconds to advance to the $100,000 final Saturday, June 17.

Starting from post six in the seven-horse trial, Be Afraid was in contention with the pack most of the way before turning in a late rally to pull away from his opponents and earn the win by three-quarters of a length over HQH Fancy Pants and Jose Ruiz. Pieper and Rolando Pina finished a close third.

Owned by Leonardo Alcala and trained by Librado Barraza, Be Afraid paid $7.60, $3.20 and $3.20 across the board. The trial was the first career start for the two-year-old Indiana bred son of Tac It Like a Man. It also marked the second win of the night for the jockey-trainer combination of Guiterrez and Barraza, who also connected earlier in the night in a Mobley trial with Jazz Shall Be First.

Apollitical Regard, under jockey Juan Galvan, posted the second fastest time of :15.787 seconds after winning the opening trial by three-quarters. Trainer Matt Frazier conditions the daughter of leading sire Apollitical Jess for owner/breeder Duke Racing, LLC. It was the first career win in two starts for the filly.

Three trials containing 22 starters were contested during the first all-Quarter Horse night of 2017. For the complete list of Jaguar Rocket Futurity qualifiers, times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

The $100,000 Jaguar Rocket Futurity will join the $150,000 Gordon Mobley Futurity Saturday, June 17 for a couple of competitive Quarter Horse finals at the end of the racing program. The evening will also mark the annual Youth Racing Experience offered by the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana (QHRAI).

Scholarship money is awarded to the students that fare the best on a written exam after spending the day learning about Quarter Horses and getting hands on experience. The top student will also advance to the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) National Youth Racing Experience to be held as part of the Bank of America Challenge at Prairie Meadows in mid-October where more scholarship money is available courtesy of AQHA.

Five all-Quarter Horse racing nights remain for the 2017 racing season. All Saturday night racing programs, the remaining dates are July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 16, Oct. 7 and Oct. 21. The 15th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing continues through Saturday, Oct. 28. Racing is conducted Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 2:05 p.m. EST with Saturday racing beginning at 6:05 p.m. EST. Thursday racing will be held July 6 – Aug. 24 at 2:05 p.m. EST.

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About Indiana Grand Racing & Casino: Indiana Grand Racing & Casino holds multiple awards from industry publications for customer service, entertainment, gaming and dining. Located in Shelbyville, Ind., Indiana Grand features 2,200 of the latest slots and electronic table games in addition to a one-mile dirt race course and a seven-eighths mile turf course offering live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing each year. Simulcast wagering is also offered year-round at Winner’s Circle Brewpub & OTB located on the casino floor as well as an off-track betting facility located in Clarksville, Ind. For more information, please visit  www.IndianaGrand.com.