A striking dark bay, Take Charge Indy scored his biggest win to date in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby earlier this year at Gulfstream, utilizing his brilliant speed to defeat the likes of Union Rags and other top three-year-olds. He entered the Kentucky Derby as one of the leading contenders before sustaining an ankle injury during the race that required minor surgery and about 90 days of rest.

Take Charge Indy was also a leading two-year-old in the Midwest. After impressively winning his debut by 6 1/2 lengths at Arlington, he was runner-up in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity and a close fourth in Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders Futurity -- both on Polytrack. Take Charge Indy closed out the year by running a troubled fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in his first start on dirt.

"Take Charge Indy is by far the best horse I've ever trained when you combine depth of pedigree and magnitude of talent," said Byrne, who has also trained champions Awesome Again, Favorite Trick and Countess Diana. "At the end of the day, I believe he will be the best horse I've ever had, period.

"He looks absolutely fantastic right now, and we're thrilled to have him back at the barn," he added. "Physically, he has filled out in all the right spots, and even Calvin (Borel) was amazed when he saw him. We're optimistic Take Charge Indy will have a strong end of the year."

Campaigned by owners Chuck and Maribeth Sandford, Take Charge Indy currently has earnings of $721,000 on the track. His dam Take Charge Lady, by leading broodmare sire Dehere, was one of the top racemares in the country in 2002-03. She was an eight-time graded stakes winner, including three Grade 1 wins, and earner of nearly $2.5 million.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com