Page 32 - 8 June 2012

Louisiana-Bred Laddie Futurity-RG2
COLTINS FAST DASH
by John Moorehouse
The date of May 26, 2012, is going to linger in the mind of trainer Steve Garrison
for quite some time. On that day, Garrison enjoyed the biggest win of his career training racehorses, when the young gelding Coltins Fast Dash brought home first place in the $225,337 Laddie Futurity-RG2 at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana.
“We’ve won some in Louisiana and won some at all the tracks in Louisiana,” Garrison said. “That’s the biggest one, though.
“Anytime you win something like that, it’s pretty exciting.”
The circumstances of the 330-yard futurity certainly were exciting. Coltins Fast Dash veered a bit coming out of the No. 7 gate, but jockey Manuel Gutierrez steadied the gelding and got him on course again. From there, the gelding established a strong and steady pace, working his way up through the seven-horse field and seizing the advantage during the stretch to finish first by a half-length margin.
Coltins Fast Dash finished in :16.481, con- siderably bettering his :16.67-time in the trials, which qualified the gelding as the seventh- fastest competitor in the stakes final. Coltins Fast Dash also posted a 101 speed index, a career high and his first in triple digits, en
route to victory in the Laddie. Coltins Fast Dash now has two straight wins.
“I think he did pretty good,”
Garrison said. “We started that
colt over at Louisiana Downs in his
first out. He showed us something
there. He did good in the trials.
Then he just kept getting better. We felt like we had a shot just from the way he was progressing. Sure enough, we did.”
Coltins Fast Dash made two starts at Louisiana Downs earlier this year. On Feb. 21, he finished sixth in a trial to the Mardi Gras Futurity, following up that effort with an improved third-place finish in a maiden race.
“He’s a pretty colt. He’s been progressing along pretty good,” the trainer added. “He kept showing us he had talent and everything. Every race he ran, he’d come back bouncing and ready to go again.”
Future plans for Coltins Fast Dash include trying to get him into the field for the Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity, taking place this summer at Delta.
Dashin Forward (Look Forward-Go Dashing Teal) beat Jess Blue Boy Lena (Jess Louisiana Blue-Call Me Lenas Girl) by a neck
to claim second place. Joseph Landreneau owns Dashin Forward, trained by Alvin Smith Jr. and ridden by Jarrod Deschamp. Dashin Forward also started his career in the Mardi Gras
Futurity trials, finishing second to eventual Mardi Gras fourth-place finisher Downtown Corona, before winning his trial for the Laddie in his next start.
The Double A. Partnership owns Jess Blue Boy Lena, a Frank Cavazos trainee who had Eddie Cox aboard. Jess Blue Boy Lena was also a finalist in the Mardi Gras Futurity, where he finished ninth.
Bigtime Beau (Bigtime Favorite-Bedawee Beau), Champions Passage (Storm Passage TB-Miss Jessie Bug), Downtown Corona (Coronas Leaving You-Down Town Diva) and Decamagic (Oak Tree Special-Glendas Magic) rounded out the field in the Laddie Futurity. First Dashin Perry, Open Me A Corona and Perrys Runaway all scratched. That trio rep- resented three of the four fastest qualifiers in the trials, including the two quickest in Perrys Runaway and Open Me A Corona.
Coltins Fast Dash and jockey Manuel Gutierrez made a late run to cross the finish line in front by a half-length in the Louisiana-Bred Laddie Futurity-RG2.
30 SPEEDHORSE, June 8, 2012

Heza Fast Man
Heza Fast Dash
First Prize Dash
COLTINS FAST DASH, ’10-g.
Streakin La Jolla
Six Streakin Salute
Salute To Win
RACING NEWS
Chad Walker: Coady Photography