Page 56 - March 2016

pedigree. A look at the 2015 leading freshman sire list will show us the latest Thoroughbred to add the “right stuff ” to the racing Quarter Horse. His name is Favorite Trick, the sire of Good Reason SA, the 2015 #1 Freshman Sire of Money Earners, and Favorite Cartel, the 2015 #1 Freshman Sire of Winners.
Favorite Trick was foaled in 1995 and
was bred by Maxwell and Sylvia Wood in Kentucky. He was bought and raced by Joseph La Combe. His trainer as a two year old was Pat Byme. He was trained by Bill Mott as a three year old when Byme became a private trainer for Frank Stronach.
It seems that Favorite Trick came out of nowhere to become the 1997 Thoroughbred Horse of the Year and the Champion Two- Year-Old Colt. He won all eight of his starts, including six stakes races with five of those being graded stakes races. His big wins were the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-G1 and the Hopeful Stakes-G1.
Favorite Trick came back at three to
win four of his eight starts, including the Jim Dandy-G2, Keeneland Breeders’ Cup Mile-G2, and Swale Stakes-G3. He was also third in the Arkansas Derby-G2. He retired
bred by the partnership of John T. L. Jones Jr. and R. D. Hubbard.
It was Hubbard’s wife, Joan Dale, who really hit the jackpot in these first two crops of Quarter Horses sired by Favorite Trick. She bred the Dash For Cash mare Stardust Dash to Favorite Trick and she got Tricky Dust in 2000 and Prankster CF in 2001. Tricky Dust would win 16 races from 41 starts. He was a stakes finalist in the Rainbow Futurity-G1 at two and won his first stakes at four by taking the 870-yard Newport Beach Handicap.
He went on to win 11 more stakes, all at
870- and 1000-yards, including the New Mexico Distance Challenge-G2. He earned $428,581. Prankster CF would start 24 times, with 10 wins and six seconds. He earned $230,013 while winning six stakes races - all at 870-yards, including the AQHA Distance Challenge Championship-G1 and Marathon National-G1. He was the 2005 AQHA Champion Distance Horse. Paul Jones was the trainer of these two runners.
In July of 2005, the new owners sent Favorite Trick to stand at the JEH Stallion Station in New Mexico. Favorite Trick would stand only one season in New Mexico when tragedy struck
R.D. Hubbard and trainer
Paul Jones formed the R.D. Hubbard and Favorite Trick Syndicate with the 2005 purchase of Favorite Trick.
with 12 wins in 16 starts over his two-year race career, earning $1,726,793.
When Favorite Trick retired from the track, he went to stand at John T. L. Jones’ Walmac International near Lexington, Kentucky. While he stood at Walmac, he was shuttled to Australia for three breeding seasons. In 2004, he moved to Cloverleaf Farms II in Florida.
By 2004, the breeding fee for Favorite Trick had gone from an initial $20,000 to $7,500 - a clear indication that he was not doing well with Thoroughbred breeders. This lack of interest in mainstream Thoroughbred breeding circles led to his purchase through the efforts of R. D. Hubbard, the owner
of Ruidoso Downs, and leading trainer
Paul Jones. His purchase formed the R.
D. Hubbard and Favorite Trick Syndicate, including Paul Jones.
The Hubbard and Jones association
with Favorite Trick didn’t begin with their purchase of the horse in 2005. The first 12 Quarter Horse foals sired by Favorite Trick were born in 2000 and 2001, including four starters/ROM. The first one was Split Trick, bred John Jones Jr. Interests Ltd. (Walmac International). The next one was Tricky Hair,
Favorite Trick is the sire of . . . 2-Time Champion and 2015
#1 Freshman Sire of Money Earners Good Reason SA.
Favorite Trick is the sire of . . . 2015 #1 Freshman Sire of Winners Favorite Cartel.
Joan Dale Hubbard, R.D.’s wife, bred Stardust Dash (by Dash For Cash) to Favorite Trick in his first two Quarter Horse crops and got Tricky Dust and Champion Prankster CF, both trained by Paul Jones.
54 SPEEDHORSE, March 2016
SPEEDLINES
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