Page 196 - July 2016

Mexico Futurity
FERRANONI
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, translation by Eduardo Silveyra
The first time I saw Ferranoni was in the 2015 Yearling Selecta Auction at the Hipodromo de las Americas. Later I saw him as a finalist in the First Futurity of the track Villa Margarita in Zempoala, Hidalgo, team- ing with SF Shake A Mystery of Rancho Santa Fe, on April 2. He was a betting favorite on that occasion, but a bad start relegated him to fourth place. His partner, however, took the lead and the main prize.
By then, the colt was already enrolled in the Mexico Futurity, to be held at 250 yards. In the trials, he was slotted to race 4 on April 24, and he achieved a time of :13.244 for the fourth best positioned. It was the most com- petitive group since 3 of the 10 finalists came from that trial, also including Invasora Jess and AS Texana.
To measure this achievement, we must keep in mind that 180 horses raced in 22 trials that were held on April 23-24. All were raised in Mexico and are part of the past 398 yearlings auctioned at the 2015 Yearling Selecta Auction mentioned above.
The expectation was great as this was the first test for these two year olds. The contest reached a record number of participants and money for the finals was 2.555 million pesos ($142,024 US, approximately).
The qualifying list
was headed by the black
filly Frannie Horse from
Hacienda San Martin
Notario with :13.180; fol-
lowed by AG Navigating
Streak with :13.201, the grey
Dancer Fishers with :13.225;
and then Ferranoni and the
remaining six qualifiers, closing the list with AS Texana with a time of :13.293.
The time difference between the first and tenth qualifiers was less than a second long, so any of the six colts and four fillies could be the winner.
The final was run on May 15. To everyone’s surprise, rain began minutes before the first
of the 11 races, significantly altering the track condition and, consequently, the performance of many. By the time of the final, the rain had stopped and the track was reported as good.
Dancer Fishers, Sea Firefly Horse and Invasora Jess were the three most favorite in the odds, in that order. The moment came when all eyes were focused on the gates or the TV monitors, waiting for the starting signal.
When the gates opened, most parted well. The only visible mistake was One Cartel, whose first moves were inward, running over
Sea Horse Firefly, who was relegated to the back of the group. Horses and riders herded toward the nearby goal, some missing their step on a surface with excess moisture. Immediately, the domination of Ferranoni and Beduina Do It All was
displayed. The timely and quick exit from the former allowed his rider David Garcia to steer toward the center of the alley in search of harder ground, which he found without a problem and there escaped, holding off the closing of Invasora Jess by 1/2-length, who in turn beat Beduina Do It All by a neck. The travel time was :13.21 for a speed index of 89.
Ferranoni was bred and owned by Jorge Jimenez, but competes on behalf of Rancho Santa Fe where he received training from Fernando Oscar Sotomayor Roldán. This time, as in qualifying, the colt was exhausted and bleeding from the nose after the race.
Jimenez, a horseman based in the city of Puebla, is the owner and breeder of runners that have excelled at the Hipodromo de las Americas track. Such as with Cates Cleat, winner of classics and dam of the gelding and brilliant match racer Feature Mr Cleat (aka El Victoriano), both having already passed. From there also came Swingin Corona, winner of the 2016 Velocidad Classic at the age of three (already held by the Rancho Las Gaviotas) and with a wide resume of match-racing. He is in service as a stud today.
Of Ferranoni, Jiminez said: “My family, who has participated in managing the colt, and I are very pleased with the victory; personally, for being a colt of my upbringing. It was the only one I signed up to the auction. I decided to keep him because the trading on the ring did not meet my expectations and we were right, thank God, because everything comes from above.”
“We are evaluating in detail the issue of bleeding presented and, depending on its development, we will run in the Stallion Futurity or wait until the Subasta Selecta,” Jimenez concluded.
For this win, they deposited 1.073 mil-
lion pesos (approximately US $59,692) to their account, corresponding to 42% of the total purse distributed among the owners of the finalists.
Ferranoni is positioned to be the best product by the stallion Ferrari Carano si 102, a 13-year- old and son of First Down Dash out of producer
Hipodromo de las Americas $142,024 • 250 yards :13.21 • si 89
First Down Dash
Ferrari Carano
Champagne Lane
FERRANONI, ‘14-c.
Snowbound TB
Compagnoni
Swiftone
Ferranoni (#2) midflight on his way to winning the $142,024 Mexico Futurity
194 SPEEDHORSE, July 2016
RACING NEWS
Miguel A. Espinoza, Hipódromo de las Américas