Page 26 - NMHBA Spring 2020

JOEL MARR
Marr’s has about 20 New Mexico bred 2-year-olds in training, including the colt Uncle and the filly Destiny Who.
“He’s real smooth,” Marr says of Uncle. “He’s going to be a good-sized colt. Sometimes I don’t really like them to be huge, but you don’t want a little bitty horse that you don’t think can stretch out and run around two turns. I’ve ridden him myself, and he just floats.”
“Same way with the other filly. She’s by Abstraction out of a Grand Slam mare. She’s just a really good mover. I like one that when you sit on them, you’re just gliding across there.”
Joel Marr has about 20 NM bred 2-year-olds in training, including
Destiny Who
Uncle
DICK (FLACO) CAPPELLUCCI
The Cappellucci family has been racing hors- es in New Mexico for decades. Their involve- ment dates back to the 1950s at La Mesa Park. In fact, a Cappellucci has had horses in the same barn at Sunland Park since 1961.
Dick Cappellucci, or Flaco as he is known, has about eight New Mexico breds. Several
were late foals, so he doesn’t plan on running any of his “babies” until the New Mexico State Fair meet in September or when Zia Park opens in October.
His 2-year-olds include a pair of fillies, Mazurka and Bit Coin Reunion, and the colt Phantom of The Opera. Flaco partnered with
former Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson on the purchase of Bit Coin Reunion for $45,000 at last year’s Ruidoso sale. She’s out of the mare Explosive Peaches by Attila’s Storm.
Cappellucci’s barn also has three 2-year-olds from Marking’s first crop. Marking is a son of the highly regarded stud Bernardini.
THE QUARTER HORSES
JASON AND WES GILES
Jason and Wes Giles are the son-father training team that moved to New Mexico from Utah about 20 years ago and have since built a highly successful racing program. It’s proof the move to New Mexico was a very lucrative one for the Giles.
“We had a really stellar year the last year we ran in Utah and Wyoming,” said Jason. “We won just about every futurity and derby you could win, and the horses made about $300,000 or $400,000 total. Then we came down to SunRay Park in Farmington that fall, and we made as much money in one
race meet in New Mexico as we made all year in Utah and Wyoming. A maiden race in Wyoming at the time was worth about $900, and a maiden race at Sunland Park was worth about $12,000 to $15,000.”
Jason, now 33, was about to start high school when they moved to New Mexico. Today, he and his dad form a formidable team. Their barn’s 2-year-old New Mexico bred stock includes the fillies Salenna and A Flash of Corona and the colt Ole Town Road.
Salenna, by Jesse James Jr., out of the mare Eye For Corona, is owned by MJ Farms in Veguita, N.M.
“We gated her the other day and she looked super impressive. She broke on top and worked about two lengths faster than the horse she was with,” said Jason.
A Flash of Corona is by First Moonflash out of a Corona Cartel mare (Zoobie Cartel).
“She’s a little bit on the timid side,” says Jason of A Flash of Corona. “It took a little longer to get her confidence with people. She doesn’t like you touching her head and mess- ing with her ears and all that stuff. But she loves to go fast.”
Ole Town Road was raised by the Giles (Jason’s grandmother Carolyn was the breeder), then sold to Arizona horseman Ricardo Ramirez at the Ruidoso sale. Ramirez took him to Ari- zona, had him broke there, and then asked Wes and Jason about two months ago if they would take over his training.
“We said of course,” said Jason. “He was one of our favorite babies that we raised, but we raise so many we can’t keep them all, and we put him in the (Ruidoso) sale. I think he sold for $40,000.”
Jason says he’s partial to fillies over colts and offers up a comparison.
“A filly naturally wants to do it more,” he said. “Sometimes geldings and colts tend to be a
Father-son training team, Jason & Wes Giles’ 2-year- old New Mexico bred stock includes
Salenna
little more on the lazy side. But I also think colts and gelding tend to be a little faster when you get to the top level. For the most part, with fillies you don’t have to ask them to run. They want to run. Fillies can be hard too though. If you get one that doesn’t want to do it, a filly that doesn’t want to participate, they can be very difficult because they are hard-headed that way.”
24 New Mexico Horse Breeder