Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Calif. horses invade for stakes
The $1 million Land of Enchantment card next Wednesday at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., drew strong support from stables based in California. The program of seven Thoroughbred stakes drew nine horses from California, including four in the $250,000 Zia Park Derby – Air Strike, Restrainedvengence, Yulong Warrior, and All Out Blitz.
California also is sending Secret Spice, the possible favorite for the $250,000 Zia Park Oaks; Alliford Bay for the $100,000 Distaff; Watch Me Burn and Six Pack Gal for the $75,000 Princess; and Anyportinastorm for the $100,000 Sprint.
“We got good turnout from California,” said Matt Crawford, director of racing operations for Zia.
Crawford said most of the horses from California are scheduled to arrive Monday. They will fly from Ontario International Airport to El Paso, Texas, then travel about 3 1/2 hours by van to Zia.
The Land of Enchantment card has a new look this year. Crawford added a pair of 2-yearold stakes to the lineup and moved the four Quarter Horse races to a separate showcase program Dec. 2. He also made the purse of the Zia Park Oaks – previously worth $300,000 – and the Zia Park Derby the same to give the races equal billing. The leftover funds were put into the 2-year-old stakes.
“We’re happy with both races being an equal amount,” Crawford said. “We’re hoping to get them graded.”
The Zia Derby will be run over 1 1/16 miles. The field of nine, from the rail with riders, is: Limation, Ricardo Santana Jr.; Air Strike, Florent Geroux; Nanoosh, Orlando Mojica; Analyze This Jet, Sasha Risenhoover; Restrainedvengence, Alonso Quinonez; Yulong Warrior, Evin Roman; Sky Promise, Rico Walcott; Combatant, Alfredo Juarez Jr.; and All Out Blitz, Martin Garcia.
Secret Spice enters the Zia Oaks – also at 1 1/16 miles – off a Santa Anita allowance win for which she earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105. She will break from the rail, with trainer Richard Baltas giving the mount to Geroux. Her chief rivals include Grade 3 winners She’s a Julie and Cosmic Burst.
First post for the 10-race Land of Enchantment card is noon Mountain. The program also includes the $150,000 Zia Park Distance Championship, which drew Grade 3 winners Harlan Punch and Shotgun Kowboy. Stallwalkin’ Dude, a stalwart on the East Coast, goes in the Sprint.
Zia’s sister track, Penn National, also will have a rich card next Wednesday. The nighttime program on the eve of Thanksgiving features three stakes, led by the $200,000 Fabulous Strike.
“Hopefully, folks will want to sneak out of the house before Thanksgiving, go to the OTB, and bet a little bit,” Crawford said.
Jessies First Down seeks title
There’s a lot of history on the line for Jessies First Down before the calendar turns in January. He has one more start this year, and with a victory could become just the third Quarter Horse to win three world champion titles, according to statistics from the American Quarter Horse Association. Shue Fly accomplished the feat in 1941-43 and Go Man Go in 1955-57.
But before the AQHA votes at the end of December, there are a lot of moving parts. Jessies First Down, who has won the last two world champion titles, is scheduled to run in the Grade 1, $350,000 Championship on Dec. 30 at Sunland Park. Hotstepper, a 3-year-old who is ranked second to Jessies First Down in a poll put out by the AQHA, is under consideration for that race, trainer Sleepy Gilbreath said Tuesday.
Hotstepper, winner of the Texas Classic Derby last weekend at Lone Star Park and the All American Derby earlier this year at Ruidoso, also has the option of the Grade 1, $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 15 at Los Alamitos, Gilbreath said. The other major stakes for Quarter Horses before the year ends is the Grade 1 Challenge Championship on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.
Jessies First Down has not made a wrong move all year, winning a trio of Grade 1 races in his three starts – the Leo and Remington Park Invitational, both in Oklahoma City, and the Fall Championship at The Downs at Albuquerque. The horse, who races for breeder Ted Abrams, has wintered at Lone Star.
“Right now, he’s doing perfect,” trainer Jimmy Padgett said. “He’s run three times, won three times this year, three Grade 1’s, and we’re going after the fourth one, the Championship at Sunland.”
From there, plans for 2019 have yet to be determined for Jessies First Down, a gelding who is 7.
“We’ll just run at Sunland, and then depending on how he is and if he wins or loses,” we’ll make decisions, Padgett said. “Nobody wants him to go out on a defeat.”
Padgett said Jessies First Down is to ship to a farm in Texas with the meet now closed at Lone Star, then will head to Sunland the first part of December to prepare for the Championship.
◗ The draw for the Challenge Championships was to be held Wednesday at host site Los Alamitos.
◗ Evangeline Downs on Friday night puts on 14 trials for the $1 million Louisiana Millions. The finale is Dec. 15.