Indiana Grand added six new stakes races this season, and to assist with naming the events the track turned to social media. Hundreds of suggestions flooded in, and after it was narrowed down, the William Garrett Stakes was the overwhelming front runner for a new stakes race at Indiana Grand.

A competitive field of five entered the starting gate for the William Garrett Stakes Wednesday with Jazzy Times and Joe Ramos grabbing the early lead in the five-furlong turf race. Mark of the Z and Orlando Mojica applied pressure on the outside as the field rounded the only turn in the race.

Charcoal (top photo) and jockey DeShawn Parker were waiting behind horses on the outside and began to unleash a big move before the top of the stretch arrived.

In the stretch, Charcoal cleared the leaders and was thriving over the last furlong of the race, posting a win by two and one-half lengths at the wire. Mark of the Z finished second over Jazzy Times in the sprint timed in 57.10 seconds.

“When the scratches came out of the race, I thought the rest of the field was comparable to us,” said Parker, who is nearing 6,000 career wins. “I had so much horse around the turn, I was just waiting for a place to go. He had a big kick like that last time too, but he surprised me how much he exploded. He ran a great race today.”

Charcoal paid $9.20 to win. The five-year-old son of English Channel is now on a two-race win streak for trainer Tracey Wisner and owner-breeder Ron Dowdy. It was the fifth win in nine starts for 2021 for the grey gelding, who topped $130,000 in earnings with the victory.

Coady Photography photos

William Garrett Stakes trophy presentation: From left, Jockey DeShawn Parker, trainer Tracey Wisner, owner-breeder Ron Dowdy, James Garrett Jr., James Garrett III, and Eric Halstrom, vice president and general manager of racing at Indiana Grand.

“Ron (Dowdy) has had this horse the whole time and he was at Fair Grounds (Louisiana) first,” said Wisner. “We’ve known each other for more than 20 years. Ron was on his way back from Keeneland (to Michigan) and he stopped, and we talked, and we ended up claiming a few horses a couple years ago. This horse (Charcoal) had a little bit of a layoff, actually it was about a year and a half. We brought him back here last year and he started racing well over the winter at Mahoning Valley and has returned strong.”

Wisner noted the discovery of how versatile Charcoal has become.

“This is a super nice horse,” added Wisner. “He can run long, short, turf, dirt, it doesn’t matter. We had never tried him at five eighths and when he raced so well and won last time out, I said to Ron, ‘What do we do now?’ and we decided to try him in this stakes race. He is a very smart horse, too.”

Dowdy, who has been in the horse racing business for nearly 30 years, is based out of Michigan. Although he doesn’t have Charcoal’s dam (Rose of Aran) anymore, he does have a few prospects coming up.

“He’s definitely a talented fellow,” said Dowdy, who was trackside to greet Charcoal after his stakes win. “We have a half-sister to him here at Indiana Grand and I have a full sister at home that is a yearling.”

James Garrett Jr., who is the executive director of the Commission of the Social Status of Black Males for the State of Indiana and nephew of Bill Garrett, was trackside to present the trophy to the winning connections of the inaugural William Garrett Stakes. His son, James III, was in the presentation, and the family also was represented by Garrett’s wife, Tonita, and his mother, Patricia.

“It is a true honor that the community recognizes Bill Garrett in this way,” said James Garrett Jr. “This is a first to have a horse race named in his honor. Our family greatly appreciates it.”

With a rich history in Shelbyville, Indiana, William Garrett is not only a hometown hero, but a well-known figure for his impact on both basketball and the community. Garrett first grabbed notoriety in the late 1940s as the leader of the 1947 state championship winning basketball team from Shelbyville High School and was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball.

Garrett went on to become the first African American to play in the Big 10 at Indiana University, setting numerous records including the four-year career scoring record (792). He was voted on the All-Big Ten First Team and in 1951 was named an All-American.

After being drafted into the U.S. Army in the early 1950s, Garrett returned to Indiana to coach the state championship winning team from Crispus Attucks in 1959. He became the only Mr. Basketball to achieve a state championship in Indiana as  a player and as a coach at the time. He later served as an educator and administrator before his death in 1974.

Garrett is an inductee into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the gymnasium at Shelbyville High School is named in his honor. In 2017, Shelbyville High School retired his jersey No. 9.

Indiana University also has named the Recreational Sports Center on campus the Bill Garrett Fieldhouse.

“It is pretty cool to win this race,” added Parker. “I’m a big basketball fan, and I know about Bill Garrett, so this was special to win this race today.”