Page 121 - June 2015
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“My mom kept telling me—‘study!’—but I used to come out to Los Alamitos and pony in my junior and senior year,” Rodriguez said. It didn’t help matters much when her father recalled that he had gotten his trainer’s license when he was 18 years old.
Yanet also got her license at 18 and has been training for 10 years.
She unveiled Walk Thru Crystal in an April 10 maiden race at Los Alamitos. With Luna in the irons, the filly defeated stablemate Marko Czech by 1 1/2-lengths. The two returned for the Kindergarten trials, both winning their trials by a neck margin.
Though the Kindergarten was the first
Los Alamitos futurity victory for Rodriguez, Gonzalez was winning his third Kindergarten. He previously scored with Hawkish in 2003 and Dash To The End in 2004. He is the fourth owner to have won the race at least three times.
“I wasn’t nervous before the race,” said Gonzalez. “But when I saw the 10 horses ready to go in the gate, I thought that any of the 10 could win it. I couldn’t believe it when my filly won. It’s a thrill to win this race again.”
La Presita LLC and Armando Leon bred Walk Thru Crystal in California, and La Presita consigned her to the sale.
Corona Crystal, the dam of Walk Thru Crystal, won the 2006 Whataway To Go Handicap and placed in three other stakes, all at Los Alamitos.
The mare has produced five winners from 11 starters, including two-time stakes winner Crystal Sola, who like Walk Thru Crystal is a daughter of Walk Thru Fire.
Jaime Gomez owns and trains Docs Best Card (Corona Cartel-Docs First Card), who came on to nab second. Oscar Peinado rode
the colt for Gomez. Docs Best Card broke his maiden in his debut and finished second in his trial to Marko Czech prior to the final. Docs Best Card was the fourth-fastest qualifier to the Kindergarten Futurity.
Gomez also trains Bobby Cox’s homebred Carnegie Haul (Corona Cartel-A Shot At Glory), who finished third with Carlos Huerta aboard. That colt broke his maiden in his debut and finished second in his trial to Walk Thru Crystal, qualifying second fastest.
Rounding out the order of finish were Joyous (Kiddy Up-Bring Me Joy), Big Time Wild (Separatist-California Wildfire), Ready Red
(TR Dasher-Coronas Rouge), Thru The Night (Walk Thru Fire-Night Lines), High Class Cartel (TR Dasher-Haute Cartel), Trust Me Not (TR Dasher-Crooksy), and Marko Czech (Corona Czech-Clydette TB). Thru The Night won the shake over Unclaimined Dividend for the tenth & final position into the Kindergarten Futurity.
Trainer Yanet Rodriguez, Santiago Rodriguez & owner Enrique Gonzalez
Alejandro Luna returns aboard Walk Thru Crystal after winning the Kindergarten Futurity
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racing news
Los Alamitos Photography Los Alamitos Photography

