Page 228 - Speedhorse February 2020

RACING NEWS
Leonardo Vidaña Uscanga Juvenile Championship
MAYBELLINA
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, translation by Eduardo Silveyra
The Juvenile Championship is an open race for two-year-old individuals, this time dedi- cated to Leonardo Vidaña Uscanga, as part of the celebration of the Day of the Jockey.
After qualifying through five races involv- ing 41 colts and fillies, the finals took place on Dec. 15. Nine of the 10 finalists were there due to the scratching of the colt Wes Hightower from Cuadra CSM, which was unable to recover from his injury in his previous race.
The futurity gathered a purse of $2,077,300 pesos, equivalent to $107,896 dollars, which was distributed among all the finalists accord- ing to their order of arrival at the wire, and with $872,466 pesos (approx. US $45,316) cor- responding to the winner of the contest which was run over 400 yards.
After qualifying with the best time, and with previously being undefeated in her previ- ous nine starts, the favorite to win was the grey Maybellina. It stands out that this was her fifth futurity of the season and only in the Alfredo Castro Rea Classic was she ranked second in the qualifiers among 48 runners, just two hun- dredths behind the favorite Wes Hightower.
On this occasion, Maybellina delivered on the confidence placed in her by her team and followers with her performance. Although
she stumbled in the first strides, she was not hindered and did not hinder any other par- ticipants, beginning her long journey through the center of the track. From the start, she was urged by Israel Domínguez, first to pass then leader Just Eagles Girl and, immediately to defend against the onslaught of the colt
Famous Splash, which closed strongly supported by the international rider Francisco Rubio and finishing at the neck of the winner, before the expectation of the attendees, who for the first time saw Maybellina win by such a small difference.
“The filly was recharged
when the gates were opened, and in the second stride she tripped and wounded the heel of her right leg, which affected her performance,” said Israel Dominguez Morales, who rode her in five of her ten races including - in addition to this final - the Jodys Glory Classic and the John Deere Juvenile Challenge. “She is one of the best fillies of her age that I have ridden, and I think she has everything to continue to provide good results in 2020,” said the jockey, who is based in the City of Puebla.
At the end of her trip, the clock marked :19.36, equivalent to a 99 speed index, only three hundredths more than the :19.33 obtained in the previous day.
The filly was received by Herminio Domínguez Meza, the on-site trainer for Cuadra RH Racing and father of Israel, who congratulated each other warmly. Her owner Teodoro Rivera then joined, walking her to the winner’s circle.
Leonardo Vidaña Uscanga, to whom the race was dedicated, participated in the awards ceremony where his career in the saddle was also recognized, particularly in the current
season riding individuals of Rancho El Suspiro.
Maybellina had a brilliant season, where her 10 starts all culminated in the winner’s circle, adding earnings of 2,872,368 pesos (approx.
US $143,618) for the prizes collected in the five futuri- ties won for the benefit of
Cuadra RH Racing. It is worth mentioning
the outstanding participation of trainers José Alfredo Rivera Hernández and Ismael Ayala, responsible for saddling her in these commit- ments. Like Israel Dominguez, the riders Mario Alberto López Marmolejo and José Ángel Ambrosio Medina also contributed to her campaign, which led her to the triumph in the qualifying and finals of the The Prize Classic and Alfredo Castro Rea Classic, respectively.
With the results described, the filly solidified her season to win the title of 2019 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly and some other important distinction, within the awards granted annually by the Mexican Quarter Horse Association. We will see how her performance is evaluated, but the 200 points obtained this season put her in first place in the tables at the end of the season.
Maybellina is from the breeding of Duke Racing LLC (USA). She went to auction at the 2018 Heritage Place Yearling Sale and was purchased by Rachuán Suárez Kuri, who paid $36,000 and brought her to Mexico to
Hipodromo de las Americas $107,896 • 400 yards :19.36 • si 99
Corona Cartel
PYC Paint Your Wagon
Dashin Follies
MAYBELLINA, ‘17-f.
Mr Eye Opener
Eye Popping
Shes Jess Special
Maybellina is headed by her owner Toribio Rivera and spouse (center with trophy in hand), as well with distinguished members of the team and friends.
226 SPEEDHORSE, February 2020
Luis Prieto Zamudio