Page 69 - 31 August 2012

QHRaI stallion service auction Futurity
TInys FIRsT PePsI
by Tracy Gantz
as the purses have improved for Quarter Horses in Indiana, Thoroughbred trainer Ron Brown decided to buy a Quarter Horse.
“I have 22 Thoroughbreds at Hoosier Park and one Quarter Horse,” said Brown. “I trained Quarter Horses back in the ’70s when you’d run for purses of $300 or $400.”
This year, Brown’s Thoroughbred stable has included Plutonium, who won the Dust Commander Stakes at Turfway Park in Kentucky. Plutonium is a son of Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.
Brown, who lives in Connersville, Indiana, visited his friends Duane and Diana Keiser
at their nearby Pepsiland Farm last year and bought Tinys First Pepsi privately as a yearling. The trainer admitted he didn’t know much about Quarter Horse bloodlines. But he has
a good eye for an athlete because Tinys First Pepsi captured the $100,000 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity on Aug. 18 at Hoosier Park.
“I looked at six yearlings, and I liked the way this one looked,” said Brown. “He’s turned out to be a nice horse.”
Brown convinced a fellow Thoroughbred owner, Bobby Ray, to go in with him on Tinys First Pepsi. The two own the gelding together, and Brown trains him.
“He’s never had a Quarter Horse either, and we’re having a lot of fun,” Brown said.
Tinys First Pepsi qualified for the June 30 Jaguar Rocket Stakes at Indiana Downs and finished fourth in the final.
“He got a little beat up out of the gate that day,” Brown said.
Breaking his maiden when winning his QHRAI Futurity trial, Tinys First Pepsi quali- fied the fastest under jockey Troy Crissup. Crissup also qualified Kool Quick Cash for trainer Ron Raper and opted to stick with that runner, and so Brown named Thoroughbred jockey Rodney Prescott on Tinys First Pepsi for the final.
Though Tinys First Pepsi and Prescott, drawn into the outside post, didn’t outbreak some of the Quarter Horse jockeys, it didn’t take long for them to charge to the front. WH Preicous Perry to their immediate inside came out a couple of times. Tinys First Pepsi eventu- ally got by her and sped away to a half-length victory in :17.870 for the 350 yards.
“After about 250 yards, it looked like a turbo kicked in,” said Brown. “He went from
an 85 speed index in the trial to a 92, so that was a big improvement. It looks like a little more ground won’t bother him at all. He’s a real smart horse and very laid back. You can put kids on him.”
Brown is enjoying his suc- cess so much with Tinys First Pepsi that he went back to the Keisers and bought another yearling, named Pistol Packin Pepsi, for next season.
“We’ve been drinking Pepsis all week,” Brown said.
Diana Keiser bred Tinys
First Pepsi in Indiana from
winner Chics Pepsi, who
finished fourth in the 2000
QHRAI Stallion Service
Auction Futurity. The mare
has produced four starters from five winners, with Tinys First Pepsi the first to capture a stakes. Popsicle Pepsi, Tiny First Pepsi’s second dam, finished second in the Michigan Bred Futurity and is a full sister to stakes-winning Imago Pepsi.
Mr Jess Down Focash (Papa Larry- Jacquards Darling) ran second for jockey Juan
Delgado. Huston Dial trains the gelding for owner Quency Grant. Mr Jess Down Focash had two thirds before winning his trial.
Second-fastest qualifier WRS Kool Blaze (Kool Quick Kid-Blazin
Memory) finished third with Julie Veltman in the irons. Dicky Benton trains the gelding for owner-breeder Williams Racing Stables Inc. Second twice and third once in four starts prior to his trial, WRS Kool Blaze broke his maiden by winning his futurity trial.
Completing the field in the QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity were WRS Kool Corona
(Kool Quick Kid-WRS Sweet Date), Kool Quick Cash (Kool Quick Kid-Easyette Cash), WH Preicous Perry (Pretty Boy Perry-WW Devil Woman), Diamond Kissed (Boknaai- Easy Flyin Lark), Flys No Mystery (Fly Jess Fly-Mystery Stride), Hoosier Rabbit (Fly Jess Fly-Babys Rabbitt), and WH Mercy Me (Real Visions-Vegas On My Mind).
Hoosier Park $100,000 • 350 yards :17.870 • si 92
Corona Cartel
Tinys First Corona
Tiny First Effort
TINYS FIRST PEPSI, ’10-g.
Lucks Chic Gay
Chics Pepsi
Popsicle Pepsi
Tiny First Pepsi and Rodney Prescott win the $100,000 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity by 1/2-length at Hoosier Park.
SPEEDHORSE, August 31, 2012 67
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