SHELBYVILLE, IN—JULY 4, 2020—It's only appropriate that the fiery One Coldhearted Diva was the quickest qualifier Saturday, July 4 in the Jaguar Rocket Futurity Trials during the special all-Quarter Horse July 4 racing program.

The sorrel freshman daughter of a leading sire One Fabulous Eagle lives up to her name off the track, but out of the gate, she is one fast filly at Indiana Grand.

Walking into the paddock is a major ordeal for the connections of One Coldhearted Diva. They know to "social distance" when she is around. She was saddled on the walk before jockey Giovani Vazquez-Gomez climbed aboard for his wife, Jessi Vazquez, who serves as the trainer.

"As soon as she saw me in the paddock today, she kicked me," said Jessi. "That's just her demeanor. You have to treat her the way she wants to be treated, and there is no other way."

One Coldhearted Diva treated fans to a quick performance, rolling out of the gate right on point, winning the 300-yard dash by one-half length in :15.604. Unbound Patriot and Sergio Ramirez finished second over Heza Fast Kisser and Alonso Rivera.

Owned and bred by Bennet Racing Stable of nearby Franklin, Ind., One Coldhearted Diva earned her name early in life.

"She has always been difficult," said Dianne Bennett. "Her mother (Whata Chilled Cat) was the same way. She never really got to race because she got hurt, but their attitude all stems back to her mother (This Cat Purrs). They all have speed and you just learn to put up with it. It runs in the family."

One Coldhearted Diva was sent to trainer Shane Seaton in Oklahoma over the winter. Due to the racing shutdowns in Indiana associated with Covid-19 restrictions, Bennett decided to just leave her in Oklahoma.

"My trainer out there (Seaton) said he would just get a start in her there until our track opened back up," said Bennett. "She had her first race at Remington and finished fourth. We shipped her to Jessi (Vazquez) the first of June."

One Coldhearted Diva will face some talented two-year-olds in the $100,000 Jaguar Rocket Futurity Final, set for Monday, July 20, including second fastest qualifier The Transmission from the Ricardo Martinez barn.

Owned by Nicole Florida, the Freighttrain B colt made his first career start an impressive outing, winning by a neck over Rock Candy Almighty and Victor Olivo. Streakin James and Juan Marquez finished third.

A longshot on the board, The Transmission paid $36.40 to win. The time of his trial was :15.605.

A pair of Randy Smith-trained freshman fillies head to the final as trial winners. Fire the Cartel and BV Fancy Free, both ridden by Sammy Mendez, won their respective trials in :15.736 and :15.774.

Fire the Cartel is a home-bred filly by Five Bar Cartel and a half-sister to Daddy's Moe. Rose Bode is the owner and breeder of the filly, who broke her maiden in the Jaguar Rocket trial. BV Fancy Free is a product of Bella Vista Farms and is a daughter of Jess Lips. It was also a maiden-breaking race for her.

"She (BV Fancy Free) requires experienced hands," said Smith. "She is kind of tough to manage. She's hot, but she can run, and she has a big heart."

Fire the Cartel is a little more laid back, and just now finding her stride.

"She (Fire the Cartel) is late to come to it, but being a half sister to Daddy's Moe, she's got the speed," added Smith, who manages around a dozen two-year-olds at Indiana Grand. "We train a lot of our two-year-olds together. I don't remember matching these two fillies up, but we could have at some point."

For top 10 qualifiers from the four trials of the Jaguar Rocket Futurity, with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

Smith will saddle four for the final (Streakin James, Cranky Louise, Fire the Cartel, BV Fancy Free) while Victor Olivo (Rock Candy Almighty, Rock the Candy Wagon) and Ricardo Martinez (The Transmission, Unbound Patriot) will saddle two each.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Live racing continues through Wednesday, Nov. 18 with action held Monday through Thursday beginning at 2:20 p.m. Four Saturday programs are slated for all-Quarter Horse days set for July 4, Aug. 8, Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.

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.