Page 78 - New Mexico Horse Breeder, Fall

RUIDOSO DOWNS
by Michael Cusortelli
RIO GRANDE SENORITA FUTURITY (R)
Southwestern Heat
Gone West
Xtra Heat
Good Mama
Indygo Shiner
Apple Strudel
AFRIcAN HEAT
African Heat, a homebred daughter of Southwestern Heat, earned her first stakes vic- tory in the September 2, $135,378 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity (R) for New Mexico-bred 2-year-old fillies at Ruidoso Downs.
Racing for J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, Texas, African Heat went 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.43 after setting fractions of :21.64 and :44.29. Alfredo Juarez Jr. rode the chestnut filly for trainer Henry Dominguez.
African Heat made her debut with a wire- to-wire, 4 1/2-length win in the second of three Senorita Futurity trials on August 11. The $67,689 winner’s share of the purse from her first stakes score bumped her earnings to $70,089.
“She’s a nice filly with good speed, and she’s a sensible horse,” Dominguez told Felix Chavez of the El Paso Times. “We expected her to run well.
“She had trained well leading up to this race,” the trainer added. “I would compare her to other New Mexico-breds, That’s The Idea and Fast Gator, who have had good careers.”
African Heat became the fourth stakes winner from 87 starters sired by Southwestern Heat, a stakes-winning and Grade 3-placed son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Gone West and 2001 American champion 3-year-old filly Xtra Heat. Racing in five states from 2006-08, the stallion earned $155,340 from 17 outs, and his
four wins included a 3 1/2-length victory in the 6-furlong, $50,000 Sonny Hine Stakes at Laurel Racecourse in Maryland.
Southwestern Heat has sired the earners
of more than $2.6 million, including multiple stakes winner Bryn’s Fancy Pants. A half brother to stakes winner Elusive Heat, Southwestern Heat died due to colic in January 2017.
African Heat is also one of two starters foaled by Good Mama, an unraced 7-year-old of the A.P. Indy stallion Indygo Shiner. Her third dam, Special Gift, was a daughter of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Houston.
African Heat traces back to her fourth dam, Smart Angle, a daughter of Quadrangle who won four Grade 1 stakes in ’79, including the Matron (G1) and Frizette (G1) stakes at Belmont Park, and was that season’s American champion 2-year-old filly. Smart Angle was a full sister to Quadratic, a two-time graded stakes winner in New York and Florida from 1977-78, and a half to five-time graded stakes winner Smarten and multiple stakes winner Smart Heiress.
African Heat was sent to post as the 3-1 sec- ond choice in the full field of 10 and returned an $8 win mutuel. Roll On Matilda, a 9-1 longshot, finished second, two lengths behind the winner, to complete a $70.20 ($2) exacta.
Let It Roll ran third and was followed by 11-10 favorite Lesstalkmoreaction, Stealing Home, M G M’s Victoria, Julie Who, Touch Me Ill Dance, Very Cherry, and Shug’s Best.
A $55,000 yearling buy at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Sale at Ruidoso Downs, Roll On Matilda is a chestnut daughter of Roll Hennessy Roll campaigned by Raymond L. Gilder. The filly has won one of three starts, and the $27,076 runner-up share of the Senorita Futurity purse pushed her earnings to $33,536.
Let It Roll races for R.D. Hubbard and Shaun Hubbard. A homebred dark bay or brown filly by Roll Hennessy Roll, Let It Roll has banked $17,247 from three outs.
76 New Mexico Horse Breeder