Page 28 - 23 November 2012

Merial Distaff Challenge Championship-G1
FReDAville
Classic-G1 at Los Alamitos and that year’s Texas Classic Derby-G1 and Retama Park Derby-G2 at Retama Park. She also placed
in three Grade 1 events and three Grade 2 fixtures. The California Hi-Point Aged Mare of 1997, Fearless Freda blazed to a new track record at Retama Park in 1996, sprinting 440 yards in :21.440.
Fearless Freda has continued to prove her worth in the breeding shed. In addition to Fredaville, she has produced 2005 AQHA Champion Aged Stallion Fredicksburg; Grade 3 stakes winner Dasha Freda, Grade 1-placed Fearless Fritz and Grade 3-placed Fredona. Fearless Freda’s talented progeny have amassed earnings of $1,013,177. Fredicksburg, who bankrolled $369,304, is her leading earner.
Merial Distaff runner-up Painted Sable, fresh off an impressive score in the Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge on Sept. 15 for owners Tommy Hays and Bobby Barnett, turned in an excellent performance for trainer Ed Hardy. Ridden by Stormy Smith, who was aboard for her last stakes victory, Painted Sable (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Sables Dash) jumped out to the early lead, opened up a half-length advantage down the lane but was caught late by the winner.
“I was proud of her effort, she ran a great race,” said Barnett. “We just got beat by a better filly on the night. She was training forwardly coming into it, and she showed how classy she is.”
Finishing third after stumbling slightly at the start was 31-1 long shot Corona For You and jockey Jeramie Fennell. Owned by Hugo
Barron Sierra, Corona For
You (Corona For Me-My First Twist), winless in 2012 but an earner of more than $160,000 lifetime, is conditioned by Jose Manuel Barron.
Checking in behind the
top three in the Merial Distaff Challenge Championship were Surprise Ending (Royal Quick Dash-Sinful Shenanigans),
Im A Feature Girl (Feature
Mr Jess-This Girl Is Special), Leanintoit (Tres Seis-First Lady Amber), Believers Gathering (Agouti-None As Easy), L Bar
D Snow Princess (This Snow Is Royal-Dash Home Deb) and RTM Say Your Prayers (Chickie Cherry Cola-Shirleys Secret). Bertha Venation (Corona Caliente-Dash To Glory) was a trainer scratch.
Fredaville and G.R. Carter Jr. rallied to win the $125,000 Grade 1 Merial Distaff Challenge Championship.
Robert Gentry’s homebred Fredaville made amends for a runner-up effort in last year’s Merial Distaff Challenge Championship-G1
at Los Alamitos with a strong performance in winning this year’s $125,000 renewal at Prairie Meadows on Oct. 27.
Sent off as the even-money favorite, Fredaville left little doubt she was best this time around. Ridden by G.R. Carter Jr., Fredaville roared from the back of the pack to run down Painted Sable nearing the wire and prevail by three-quarters of a length. The Oklahoma-bred sorrel mare by Mr Jess Perry required only :19.980 to complete the 400 yards, earning
a speed index of 90 for her winning effort. Trainer Cody Joiner saddled the winner.
“She really ran a good race for me,” said Carter, Fredaville’s regular rider. “She’s got a really good finishing kick. She has the heart of a champion, and she showed it tonight. I hope this win is enough to lock up champion honors.”
With the victory, Fredaville has won seven stakes races, three of them graded, in an outstanding career. The Merial Distaff was her first Grade 1 score. Her other graded victories came in this year’s Los Alamitos Distaff Challenge-G3 and the 2011 Decketta Stakes-G3 at Remington Park. In addition,
she has placed in five graded stakes events, three of them this season, including a second- place finish in the Juno’s Request Stakes-G2 at Remington Park, and third-place finishes in the Charger Bar Handicap-G2 at Los Alamitos and the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1, also at Los Alamitos.
All told, she has won 11 of 35 starts and placed in 15 others. Fredaville
is talented and fast. She set a new track record in 2011 at Hialeah, running 350 yards in :17.258. The $57,500 winner’s share
of the Merial Distaff Challenge purse elevated Fredaville’s bankroll to a total of $324,071.
Fredaville is pro-
duced from a long line of
Gentry homebreds. The
full sister to Champion
Fredricksburg is out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Dash For Cash mare Fearless Freda, an earner of $262,121 during her racing career. Fearless Freda won three graded stakes events in 1996, taking the QHBC Championship
Prairie Meadows $125,000 • 400 yards :19.980 • si 90
Streakin La Jolla
Mr Jess Perry
Scoopie Fein
FREDAVILLE, ’06-m.
Dash For Cash
Fearless Freda
Such An Easy Effort
26 SPEEDHORSE, November 23, 2012