Page 58 - 7 July 2012

Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Futurity
JuNIOR JuNE BuG
by John Moorehouse
The grass may not be greener in the New Mexico desert, but in Quarter Horse racing, the paydays certainly can be. And so Richard McGehee decided he wanted a New Mexico- bred horse so he could start taking a crack
at some of the lucrative stakes races for New Mexico-breds.
McGehee sent Leon Barnes, who trains his horses in Texas, to the New Mexico-bred sale at Ruidoso.
“He asked me what I wanted to spend. I said, I believe I don’t want to go over 30 (thou- sand) for a horse,” McGehee recalled.
When Barnes bought Junior June Bug, however, he ended up spending $35,000
for the yearling. It’s fair to say that sum was worth it. McGehee’s colt ran to victory in the $296,456 Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Futurity, held June 16 at Ruidoso Downs—the same track that hosts the sale where Barnes purchased the colt for McGehee.
“He broke real well. Ran straight, broke well and kept on running all the way through. He’s a good horse,” McGehee said. “We’re excited about him but you can’t just go crazy.”
Junior June Bug already had shown flashes of being a formidable competitor. He placed second to PJ Chick In Black—eventual win- ner of the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity—in the New Mexican Spring Futurity held in April
at SunRay Park. McGehee said that the colt’s connections started getting excited even before that, when he took to the track for his first training race at Sam Houston in February.
“Did everything right like he was supposed
to do and showed he had some speed,” McGehee said. “He did everything right.”
Barnes breaks all of
McGehee’s horses, but after get-
ting Junior June Bug started, he
shipped the colt to New Mexico
to be trained by Jackie Riddle.
Under her stewardship, Junior June Bug fin- ished second in his trial for the Mountain Top, tallying the sixth-best qualifying time.
The conditions on race day did provoke some cause for concern. It rained on June 16, creating a sloppy, muddy track.
“It worried us. First time he’d been in the mud and it was pretty sloppy and nasty,” McGehee recalled.
Junior June Bug showed no problems when the gates opened, however. Jockey Carlos Madeira brought the colt out of the No. 1 hole and quickly had Junior June Bug leading the pack. From there, Junior June Bug rode the rail all the way to the finish line, beating Brookstones Chick by a neck.
Running into a light headwind, Junior June Bug covered the 350 yards in :17.870 for an
80 speed index. The victory, Junior June Bug’s second in four lifetime outs, pushed the colt’s total bankroll to the cusp of the $175,000 milestone with the addition of the $124,511 payday for this race.
Bred by MJ Farms, Junior June Bug is the second stakes winner out of his dam, Sandy June Bug. The unraced mare has produced six offspring, five of which have made starts.
The other stakes winner is Hedge Fund, a half- brother to Junior June Bug who finished first
in the 2004 Spring Fling Futurity. Junior June Bug’s second dam, stakes- placed Sandys Fame, is
a half-sister to stakes winners Redwood River and Champagne Lane, the latter of which is the dam of Champion Alice K White.
McGehee did say that Junior June Bug has a target of eight outs this year, and is halfway to that total. The Zia Futurity trials are next on his schedule.
“We’re going to take it slow with him,” the owner said.
Brookstones Chick (Brookstone Bay-Lori Iza Chick), the betting favorite, settled for a close second. Don and Lane Reynolds own the filly, a Fred Danley trainee ridden by Bonifacio Perez.
Averyspecialsouthern (Southern Corona- Secrets Revealed) finished third by a neck for co-owners G. Dwayne Pruitt, Kim King and J. Steele. The filly is trained by Ralph Muniz and had Oscar Rincon aboard.
The remaining order of finish was Justified By Chicks (Chicks A Blazin-Jesstifiable Debt), Chrome Heart (Sixes Royal-Hi Dynamite Allie), Ping Pong Patty (Jesse James Jr-Madie Rae), Jessiana (Jesse James Jr-Oriana’s Magic TB),
Ms James (Jesse James Jr-Arbor Mist) and River Suspect (Ausual Suspect-Riverside Eye Opener). Gotcha By The Jewels was scratched.
Ruidoso Downs $296,456 • 350 yards :17.870 • si 80
Mr Jess Perry
Jesse James Jr
Loose Lips
JUNIOR JUNE BUG, ’10-c.
Blushing Bug
Sandy June Bug
Sandys Fame
Junior June Bug (#1) is the game winner of the $296,456 Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Futurity under jockey Carlos Madeira at Ruidoso Downs.
58 SPEEDHORSE, July 6, 2012
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