Page 142 - March 2016

Sunshine State Derby
AHS UNCLE SI
by John Moorehouse
After AHS Uncle Si won the $200,000 Sunshine State Derby at Hialeah Park on Feb. 27, Alicia Hill-Smith received a very handsome offer to buy the promising colt.
Hill-Smith, who owns and bred AHS Uncle Si, declined to sell. After all, the best may be yet to come for this colt, who dominated this derby. He broke on top and rode the inside rail to a wire- to-wire run for his first stakes victory and second overall win in five career starts. Both of his wins have come during the current Hialeah Park meet.
Trained by Judd Kearl, AHS Uncle Si had Rodrigo Vallejo in the irons for the 400-yard trip that took :19.430, registered a 102 speed index and brought home $84,000 sum that pushed the colt’s total bankroll into six figures.
“He is just a blessing,” Hill-Smith said. “I own his mama. That’s her first baby. I actually raised the mama too.”
Hill-Smith bred this bloodline out of Evening Glimmer, a 19-year-old mare she purchased orig- inally with the intent of breeding barrel horses. Evening Glimmer produced Ichies Signature, an unraced 2005 mare who Hill-Smith paired with Struttin To Beduino to breed AHS Uncle Si. He was named by Hill-Smith’s daughter, after one of the main cast members on “Duck Dynasty.”
When AHS Uncle Si first took to the track, his debut out was a distant sixth-place
effort in a maiden at Delta Downs last May.
“They told me he couldn’t run and he wasn’t any good,” Hill-Smith recalled.
Circumstances gave AHS Uncle Si another chance. The Georgia-based Hill-Smith called Kearl and asked the trainer to pick up and barn AHS Uncle Si so she could tend to her mother who had been diagnosed with cancer.
“Judd called me up after about two weeks and said, ‘I really like this colt’. He said, ‘I’m seeing a lot of talent and a lot of potential here’,” Hill-Smith said.
AHS Uncle Si returned to the track at the end of 2015 in Florida, winning his trial for the FQHRA Stallion Stakes D. and finishing third in the stakes final to earn black type. The colt also won his trial for the Sunshine State D., but was disqualified to fifth after a veering qualifying run.
“He was so far out in front of everybody he didn’t interfere,” Hill-Smith noted. That trend con- tinued in the derby, and this time, the result held.
Now, a horse from humble beginnings who was written off after his inaugural out, will make
his way to Ruidoso for the Ruidoso D. and, Hill-Smith hopes, the All American.
“I’m just thankful for God,” Hill-Smith said. “He’s got me where I’m at. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t have this horse or have the opportunity to do what I’m doing. It’s like
I told Judd, Judd told me and Rodrigo told me, this horse doesn’t know how fast he is.”
Shes A Tourist (Ethics Aside-Deluxicious), finished second for
Double A Ranch. The Elio Vazquez trainee had Yordanis Amaro aboard. La Doncella Comminup (Ethics Aside-Comminup Rosie) hit the board in third place for owner Luis Aguirre and trainer Rogelio Martinez. Omar Reyes did the riding.
The remaining order of finish was Blacks Cartel (Streakin Six Cartel-Brandi Whiz), Fast Flyin Fireball (This Flights For You-Biscuits N Buns), Bubbles Cartel Gal (Streakin Six Cartel- Bubbles Bunny), Streakin Knight (Streakin Six Cartel-My Little Mimi TB), Toast To Bono (Bono Jazz-GG Toast), Burnin For You (This Flights For You-Bye Bye Rayburn) & Salty Gator (Swingin Jess-Sweet N Salty TB).
Hialeah Park $200,000 • 400 yards :19.430 • si 102
Streakin La Jolla
Struttin To Beduino
Scoopie Fein
AHS UNCLE SI, ‘13-c.
Ichie Dancer
Ichies Signature
Evening Glimmer
140 SPEEDHORSE, March 2016
Ahs Uncle Si & Rodrigo Vallego are never headed and win the $200,000 Sunshine State Derby by 2-lengths
RACING NEWS
Coady Photography