Volatile’s 3-year-old colt Tip Top Thomas earned his first stakes win in style Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis with a track record-setting performance in the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3).
The chestnut colt is one of eight stakes horses this year for Volatile, who is in the top five on the 2025 Second-Crop Sire list.
After finishing second in last year’s Champagne S. (G1) in just his second lifetime start, Tip Top Thomas was given the winter off by trainer Todd Pletcher. He tuned up for the Indiana Derby with a sharp Aqueduct allowance win on May 25.
Sent out to vie for the lead right from the start, Tip Top Thomas battled for the lead with Master Controller, who began to fade after a half-mile. Going into the final bend, Coal Battle rushed up and threatened to take over. Tip Top Thomas fought back and would not let Coal Battle by all the way to the wire, winning by a half-length in 1:41.15 for the 1 1/16-miles on a fast track, breaking a track record that was set some 14 years ago.
“We were very high on him,” said Pletcher of the winner. “We thought enough off his maiden win to run him back in the Champagne and he finished a good second in there. Talked about possibly going to the Breeders’ Cup and decided we’d give him a little bit of a freshening and try to gear up for spring-summer campaign, which so far has worked out well.”
The winner is owned by James J. Bakke and Gerald Isbister and sold for $160,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale. He was bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay Inc., Donna Moore and Jim Richardson.
Tip Top Thomas is now 3-1-0 in five starts and has earned $385,500.
