Page 66 - 17 August 2012

Mr jet Moore Handicap-G3
rAre WALKer
by Stacy Pigott
The Mr Jet Moore Handicap on Aug. 5 at Ruidoso Downs drew a tough field that included two champions—Prospect To The Top and Noconi. But when it was all said and done, 8-1 outsider Rare Walker pulled off the upset in the $30,000 race.
Ridden by Esgar Ramirez, Rare Walker broke with the leaders in the Mr Jet Moore, dueling with Double Chiseled, Feature Ten, and Prospect To The Top
at the front of the field.
Improving his position, Rare
Walker trailed only Prospect
To The Top at the midway
point of the 400-yard race.
Digging in late, Rare Walker
stuck his head in front of
Prospect To The Top at the
wire, winning in :19.589.
Feature Ten was three-quar-
ters of a length back in third,
with Noconi fourth.
Rare Walker had finished
third behind Noconi in his most recent start
in the La Plata Stakes-G3 on May 12. Rare Walker was also second in the O.B. Cockerell Handicap-G3 last year after having been claimed for $12,500 at the end of 2010. Hector Hernandez trains the Walk Thru Fire gelding, who is owned by Erasmo Hernandez.
The Mr Jet Moore marks the first stakes win for Rare Walker, who comes from a family of
stakes winners. His dam, Oh La Proud, is a stakes winner from the broodmare band of Champion Breeder Edward C. Allred. She has produced 27 starters from 29 foals, with 17 winners and six stakes winners. Rare Walker is a full brother
to stakes winner Flame N Flash, and a half-brother to Champions Hawkinson and Hawkish, and stakes winners Pride Of Katella, Look Her Over, and Mister Katella.
Joel Taverez’s Prospect To The Top (Coronas Prospect-Cream To The Top), last year’s Champion 3-Year-Old Colt, was making his first start of the year after standing at stud through the spring. Ralph Muniz trains the 4-year-old stallion, who was ridden by Oscar Rincon.
Alonso Rincon’s show finisher Feature Ten (Feature Mr Jess-Shez Ten First) was claimed for $6,250 in January 2011, and did not race again until April of this year. Jaime Aldavaz Jr. trains Feature Ten, who was ridden by Tony Guymon.
In fourth was Noconi (Mr Jess Perry-My Dashing Lady), with Double Chiseled
(SC Chiseled In Stone-Specialy Double), Buildemhigh (Feature Mr Jess-Okeydokey Baby), JD Baccarat (Mr Jess Perry-Sizzling Lola), Arbor Tres (Tres Seis-Arbor Mist) and Jess He Is (Fly Jess Fly-Madam Takes Cash) rounding out the field. Zulu Dragon was scratched.
Ruidoso Downs $30,000 • 400 yards :19.589 • si 93
First Down Dash
Walk Thru Fire
Sweet Beduino
RARE WALKER, ’07-g.
Shirley’s Champion-TB
Oh La Proud
Oh La Ree
Racing news
NCQHrA Futurity
jeSS LIKA BLAIr
by Stacy Pigott
It took Jess Lika Blair a few starts to put every- thing together, but once he did, there was no stopping him. Alan Ham’s homebred gelding
strung together back-to-back wins in the trials and finals of the North Central Quarter Horse Racing Association Futurity at Canterbury Park, breaking his maiden and then earning his first stakes win in the process.
Trained by Robert Johnson, Jess Lika Blair quali- fied to the South Dakota-Bred
Futurity earlier this year, finishing
seventh in the finals. His best
finish in his first four starts was a second-place run in a maiden race on July 13 at Canterbury Park.
Improving his form from there, Jess Lika Blair was nothing short of fabulous
in a trial to the NCQHRA Futurity, blowing away his competition by 1 3/4 lengths to set the second-fastest quali- fying time of :18.244 seconds.
64 SPEEDHORSE, August 17, 2012
He didn’t win quite as easily in the finals, but he still turned in a wire-to-wire perfor- mance to beat runner-up Hastabealeader to the finish line by a head. Ridden by Thomas Wellington, Jess Lika Blair covered the 350 yards in :18.264 for a speed index of 81.
The win was worth $20,200 of the $40,400 purse and increased Jess Lika Blair’s lifetime account to $25,320. He is the first
stakes winner for his dam, the unraced Jess Louisiana Blue mare I Jess Lika. She foaled two winners prior to Jess Lika Blair.
Johnson qualified three horses to the NCQHRA Futurity and swept the top three spots, as he also saddled runner-up Hastabealeader and show finisher Dash Ta Ozona. Gloria Myers owns Hastabealeader (Hasta Be First-Leadmetoyourladder),
who was the post-time favorite by virtue of his fastest qualifying effort in the trials. Jockey Clyde Smith rode the gelding, who was third in the Minnesota Stallion Breeders’ Futurity on June 24.
Finishing third in the NCQHRA Futurity was Dash Ta Ozona (Dash Ta Fame-Blazin off). Webb Ranch LLC owns the filly who was ridden by Doug Frink. This was her first stakes race.
The top three were followed by Jess That Blazin (Swingin Jess-Sure Thats Blazin), Miss Racy First Down (First Down Dash-Runaway Vike), and Fly Eyeann (Fly Jess Fly-Eyzanee). Atsi Hero and V Os Red Hot Cole were scratched earlier in the day, while Traffic Patrol ran off before the race and was chased down by an outrider and scratched, and Girls Dont Seis was scratched after she began fuss- ing and feuding while trying to line up.
Canterbury Park $40,400 • 350 yards :18.264 • si 81
Corona Cartel
Call Me Corona
Beths Beluga
JESS LIKA BLAIR, ’10-g.
Jess Louisiana Blue
I Jess Lika
Call Me Lika
Coady Photography ruidoso Downs