Page 152 - August 2015

Rainbow Derby-G1
KISS MY HOCKS
by Tracy Gantz
No doubt about it—Kiss My Hocks is back. The 2014 Ruidoso Futurity-G1 winner returned for the Rainbow Derby-G1 in such
an impressive performance that he was able to overcome a false break.
A false break almost always spells defeat. It victimized Champion Moonist at Los Alamitos in the July 5 Vessels Maturity-G1, and no owner or trainer wants to see it. Tyler Graham, who owns Kiss My Hocks with Conda Maze, admitted that “my heart sank when that happened.”
“He was real quiet and then false broke,” said jockey G.R. Carter Jr. “He hit the gate just hard enough for it to open. It’s not often that you see one false break and win.”
Graham noted that “the header caught him, and he actually just stood there. That just proves to you how smart the horse is.”
When the gate opened to start the race, Kiss My Hocks broke perfectly, “straight as a string,” said Graham. The horse to his inside, Moonin The Eagle, veered inward, and Kiss My Hocks had a clear shot down the Ruidoso stretch. He and Carter forged ahead to lead throughout the 440 yards. Sam Crow, the slight favorite over Kiss My Hocks, tried to close ground from the outside post, but Kiss My Hocks was having none of it, winning by 1/2-length in :21.576.
“He’s the epitome of confidence in a horse,” said Carter.
Carter had inherited the mount on Kiss My Hocks from Cody Jensen after Jensen was injured in a training accident. Jensen had ridden Kiss My Hocks most of last year and in his 2015 debut, the trials for the Ruidoso Derby-G1, when the colt finished fourth.
Graham said that Kiss My Hocks was a little rusty for the Ruidoso Derby trials.
“I don’t think that was the horse’s fault,” said Graham. “I just don’t think we had him as ready as we should have had him. It was nice to see him come back and do what we know he can do.”
Toby Keeton trains Kiss My Hocks, who at two in 2014 was unbeatable through his first five starts, including victories in the Ruidoso Futurity and the Sam Houston Futurity-G2. Kiss My Hocks set a track record of :16.433 for 330 yards in the latter. The colt lost the Rainbow Futurity-G1 by just a neck after a bumping incident and then won his trial for the All American Futurity-G1 but failed to qualify. He was voted the nation’s Champion
Two Year Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.
“Hopefully, he’s back on track for the rest of the year,” said Graham. “A lot of people had lost faith in him, which
I think is silly after one out. We all knew that he was sound and he was just rusty. He’s the soundest horse I’ve ever had in my life.”
If all goes well, Kiss My
Hocks will go in the trials for
the All American Derby-G1 and then possibly the Texas Classic Derby-G1. The colt has won eight of 10 races, for earnings of $1,143,461.
Graham, general manager of Southwest Stallion Station in Elgin, Texas, bred Kiss
My Hocks in partnership with John Mayers. Graham liked the colt so much that he didn’t enter him in any yearling sales. Keeton brought Maze to the ranch to look at sale year- lings. They both loved Kiss My Hocks, and
so they made a deal for Maze to buy Mayers’ interest in the colt.
Graham and Mayers foal-share bred on the offspring of Romancing Mary. While racing for Mayers, Romancing Mary placed in five stakes, including the 2007 Sam Houston Futurity (then a Grade 1 race),
and earned $163,294. They bred Kiss My Hocks in Texas by crossing the mare with Champion Tempting Dash. Romancing Mary has produced five winners from seven starters.
Favored Sam
Crow (Valiant Hero- Bourbonstreetchick) ran second for jockey Ricky Ramirez. Blane Wood trains the gelding for owner Terry
Baber. Sam Crow finished third in last year’s All American Futurity-G1 and second in the Ruidoso Juvenile. Moonin The Eagle (One Famous Eagle-Your First Moon) finished third, but was disqualified to last, moving Cobalt Creek (Walk Thru Fire-Checknbac) into third. Omar Reyes rode Cobalt Creek for trainer John Stinebaugh and owner Vwp Jr. Inc. Cobalt Creek has now won four of
12 races. Followed by Fire Fortune (Walk Thru Fire-Sizzling), Carters Last Straw (Carters Cartel-Hawks Dancing Straw), Streakin Regard (Chicks Regard-Streakin La Tac), Bodacious Eagle (One Famous Eagle- Bodacious Dream), Jess Walking Thru (Walk Thru Fire-Jess Sass Me), Glock (Foose-Babe On The Fly) & Moonin The Eagle.
Ruidoso Downs $1,067,906 • 440 yards :21.576 • si 88
First Down Dash
Tempting Dash
A Tempting Chick
KISS MY HOCKS, ’12-c.
Tres Seis
Romancing Mary
Romancin Ashley
150 SPEEDHORSE, August 2015
Kiss My Hocks & G.R. Carter Jr. go wire-to-wire in the $1,067,907 Grade 1 Rainbow Derby
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