Page 37 - 8 June 2012

Louisiana Purchase Stakes
AJS FAST DASH
by John Moorehouse
AJS Fast Dash made a huge move during the stretch run to snatch first place in the $40,000 Louisiana Purchase Stakes on May 26 at Delta Downs. Flamboyant Chick and Toastin Fame appeared set for a two-way photo finish at the line, but AJS Fast Dash came out of nowhere to beat the duo to the wire by a nose.
A 3-year-old colt owned by Triple Cross Racing LLC, AJS Fast Dash
logged his fifth win in nine
total outs, but his first vic-
tory in stakes company. The colt had competed in two previous stakes, both during his rookie campaign, but finished no better than sixth.
AJS Fast Dash fared much better this time. Starting from the outside of
a seven-horse field, the Frank Cavazos trainee drifted out after breaking from the gates.
Jockey Eddie Cox kept the colt on course, however, and he was lurking about a length shy of leader Toastin Fame going into the stretch. That’s when AJS Fast Dash mounted his successful rally.
Cox brought AJS Fast Dash across the finish line in :17.394, the colt’s best-ever time at the 350-yard distance, and tallied a 98 speed index. Triple Cross collected a $24,000
prize that pushed the lifetime bankroll of AJS Fast Dash into six digits at $118,307.
Arnold Trahan bred AJS Fast Dash out of Snows Refrigerator, a 2000 mare whom he also owns. The lightly-raced mare has foaled six offspring, five of whom have made starts. Four of those five are winners but AJS Fast Dash becomes the first member of the brood to tally a stakes victory.
Flamboyant Chick (Toast To Dash- Hempen Chick), the biggest longshot in the field at 58-1 odds, finished second. Eddie Harrison owns the filly, prepped by William Little and ridden by Bobby Ransom.
Toastin Fame (Toast To Dash-Shannons Fame), another heavy underdog at 25-1, hit the board in third after leading most of the way
in the Louisiana Purchase. Oscar Rohne owns Toastin Fame, a Kenneth Roberts Sr. trainee who had Jarrod Deschamp up.
Toast To Dash Delux (Toast To Dash- Delux Is Streaking), Nobodies Friends (Game Patriot-Dee Magic Encounter), Haystretcher (Heza Fast Dash-Sayin Together), Blue Rare Bear (One Rare Bug-Eyes Shine Special), I Special Too (Heza Fast Dash-Special Time Too) and Dash For Alexis (Dashin Bye- KDwantsafastone) completed the field.
Delta Downs

Heza Fast Man
Heza Fast Dash
First Prize Dash
AJS FAST DASH, ’09-c.
This Snow Is Royal
Snows Refrigerator
My Native Sis
RACING NEWS
Indiana Downs Classic
JESS SPECIAL CANDY
by John Moorehouse
Asteady pace paid off for Jess Special Candy on May 19 at Indiana Downs, when the 6-year-old gelding won the $85,200 Indiana Downs Classic by a neck.
Jess Special Candy collected his sixth win in 29 total outs, and second victory in stakes company. The gelding posted his first stakes triumph last year in the All American Congress Maturity held at Beulah Park. He set the 440-yard track record
that day, and also holds
the 330-yard benchmark at
Remington Park, which he
set last year in an allowance.
In the Indiana Downs Classic, Jess Special Candy broke from the No. 9 gate in the middle of the pack, while Bold Badon and Tortuga Tony established themselves as the initial front-runners. Bold Badon continued to hold the lead as he went into
the stretch, but he began to fade. Meanwhile, jockey Victor Olivo coaxed Jess Special Candy into a late surge and he finished first to bring home a career-high $46,860 winner’s check for owner Manny Silva.
Rolando Almanza trains Jess Special Candy, who made the 350-yard trip in :17.669, posting a 98 speed index.
Carl Pevehouse bred Jess Special Candy out of homebred This
Candys Special, a winner of three Grade 3 stakes events who produced more than $100,000 in prize money during her racing career. All nine of This Candys Special’s offspring have made starts, with seven winners and two stakes winners. The other is Candy Cartel, a half-sister to Jess Special Candy who won the Decketta Stakes-G3 at Remington this year.
Ethics Aside (Mr Jess Perry-Daring Difference) finished second for owner/trainer Jorge Luis Gonzalez. Jockey Gerardo Garrido was in the irons. Walter Harrison’s homebred veteran gelding Fearles Fred (Fredricksburg- Precious Debutante) hit the board in third. The Carol Rettele trainee had jockey Troy Crissup aboard.
The remaining order of finish was Bright Eyed Vision (Ausual Suspect-Hope For Me), Tortuga Tony (Stel Corona-Just Wanna Be Me), RK Lady Prospect (Coronas Prospect-Fastest Flying Nanny), Bold Badon (Dale Badon-Darbs Doll), Ridin A Easy Streak (Streakin La Jolla- Easy Ridin Chick), Stone Heading West (SC Chiseled In Stone-Ellens Briartic TB) and Cash For Braggs (Sixes Royal-Dashing Affair). Bold Badon reached the wire sixth but was disquali- fied to seventh for drifting.

Streakin La Jolla
Mr Jess Perry
Scoopie Fein
JESS SPECIAL CANDY, ’06-g.
Strawfly Special
This Candys Special
Send Me The Candy
SPEEDHORSE, June 8, 2012 35
Coady Photography Coady Photography