Page 143 - March 2016

South Florida Derby
CARTERS SIXTY SIX & EC JET ONE
Hialeah Park $204,265 • 440 yards :21.717 • si 93
Corona Cartel
Carters Cartel
Jumping Tac Flash
CARTERS SIXTY SIX, ’13-f.
Sixarun
Going Sixty Six
Going Merri
Corona Cartel
The Louisiana Cartel
The Louisiana Girl
EC JET ONE, ’13-c.
Mr Jess Perry
Pretty Girl Perry
Brasis
by Tracy Gantz
Trainer Judd Kearl had an incredible run at Hialeah Park this winter. He qualified three horses to the Feb. 28 South Florida Derby and managed to win the race with two of them, as the filly Carters Sixty Six and the colt EC Jet One dead-heated for the victory.
“It was an unbelievable meeting,” said the trainer. “The filly blew away from there, and she had them beat. She tries her guts out every time.”
Kearl had won the Jan. 17 Hialeah Derby with EC Jet One, while Carters Sixty Six the same day captured the consolation race, the Hialeah El Nino Invitational. Both of them,
as well as Kearl-trained AHS Blazin Spirit, qualified for the South Florida Derby, with trial winner EC Jet One going off as the 1-2 favorite.
“The big colt on the outside got in a lot of trouble,” said Kearl. “He got banged around pretty good and had to make up a lot of ground to try to catch the filly.”
When the gate opened, Genovese in post-8 veered out, impeding fastest-qualifier Favored Fire and EC Jet One. Despite being turned “com- pletely sideways,” Kearl said, EC Jet One, with Rodrigo Vallejo aboard, came charging up.
Jockey Agustin Silva tried valiantly to keep Carters Sixty Six ahead of the field, and they managed it with the exception of EC Jet One, who put his nose on the wire at the exact same time she did for the dead heat. The Kearl pair crossed the line in :21.717 for the 440 yards.
Genovese finished third, and the stewards posted the inquiry sign. They disqualified
him and placed him ninth, behind Favored Fire.
Kearl trains EC Jet One for owner Enrique Carrion, who bred the colt in Texas and also raced multiple stakes winner Azoom, now a sire. EC Jet One was winning
his fourth consecutive race
at Hialeah Park. Last year
at 2 he ran third in the Sam Houston Futurity-G2, after which they took a chip out
of his knee. He qualified the fastest for the Texas Classic Futurity-G1.
EC Jet One is by The
Louisiana Cartel out of
unraced Pretty Girl Perry.
The mare has three win-
ners in four starters, including Alizee, who is stakes-placed in Mexico.
Kearl trains Carters Sixty Six for owner Bryon Gardner. The trainer bought the
filly for $10,000 at the 2014 Heritage Place Yearling Sale. Marty Powers consigned her to the sale for breeder Michael Samples.
“She was a little swaybacked,” Kearl said. “But, I think that gives them a little more stride.” In 2015, Carters Sixty Six ran third in the Sam
Houston Juvenile Stakes. She broke her maiden in winning her trial for the Hialeah Derby.
Michael Samples bred Carters Sixty Six in
Kansas from the winning mare Going Sixty Six. A half-sister to stakes-placed Heza Fast Star, Going Sixty Six has produced four winners from five starters.
Kearl said that Carters Sixty Six and EC Jet One would likely get a break from racing for a while. Carters Sixty Six isn’t paid into anything until the fall, he said. The trainer and Carrion are shoot- ing for the rich All American Derby-G1 with EC Jet One.
After the disqualification of Genovese (Mr Jess Perry- Tiny First Effort) from third to ninth, fourth-place finisher Sprinster (FDD Dynasty-Dash Of Perry) was elevated to third.
Edwuin Lujan piloted Sprinster for trainer John Stinebaugh and owner Sunset Well Service Inc. Sprinster ran second in the Mockingbird Stakes at Hialeah earlier this year.
Satcha Wagoneer (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Seychelle) finished fifth and was moved into fourth. She was followed by AHS Blazin Spirit (Simply Macho-Look
At Empress), Yawls Corona (Coronas Leaving You-Yawls Buffie), Love You Pappi (Pappasito-Dash Thru Diva), Favored Fire (Walk Thru Fire-Favored) & Highway (Jess Zoomin-The Fashion Wagon).
EC Jet One (#10) and Carters Sixty Six (#3) finish in a dead heat winning the $204,265 South Florida Derby
SPEEDHORSE, March 2016 141
RACING NEWS
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