Page 113 - November 2015

Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1
HEZA DASHA FIRE
by Tracy Gantz
No matter how many good horses he faces, Heza Dasha Fire, the 2014 Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding, manages to win easily
nearly every time. He scored another effort- less victory in the Oct. 31 Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1, soundly defeating a very talented field. Despite the presence of such stakes winners as Forget It (who had won his last six races), Take A Look, and Tallulah Moon, Heza Dasha Fire went off as the 3-10 favorite and did not disappoint his backers.
“I was jumping up and yelling,” said Kathy Meneely. “He’s phenomenal. He’s been a joy from the beginning. He just continues to amaze us and elate us.”
Meneely bred Heza Dasha Fire in Washington with her husband, Don, and their son Shawn. They race him in the name of S-Quarter K LLC. Jose Flores trains the geld- ing for the family.
When the gate opened, Heza Dasha Fire broke a step behind Sass Me Blue, but jockey Cruz Mendez knew what he had. The jockey rode Heza Dasha Fire supremely confidently, getting the lead quickly in the 400-yard race and then coasting to the wire without need of the whip. They won by a length in :19.462.
“He’s a great horse,” Mendez said. “He didn’t break that great, but he finished great. I was
very confident in him because after the win in the trials, he looked like the one to beat. He finished great tonight.”
Heza Dasha Fire
impressed many observers
with his 1 3/4-length win in
his Super Derby trial on Oct.
11. He qualified the fastest
by nearly three-tenths of a
second. He brought his record
to 10 wins in 11 starts, having
already won the 2014 Golden
State Million Futurity-G1 and Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1 and this year’s Golden State Derby-G2.
The Super Derby brought Heza Dasha
Fire’s total earnings to $1,389,388 making him the richest Washington-bred racehorse of all time. The leading Thoroughbred earner bred in Washington, Saratoga Passage, earned $800,212.
The race also earned Heza Dasha Fire a berth in the Dec. 12 Champion of Champions-G1, where he will likely face another Champion, 4-year-old Moonist.
“We’ve been talking about the Champion of Champions since he came back this season,” said Don Meneely. “But at the time there was a lot of water to get through before we got to that shore.”
The Meneelys could have
a huge weekend as they are pointing Ima Fearless Hero to the Dec. 13 Los Al $2 Million Futurity-G1. Ima Fearless Hero is a 1/2-brother to Heza Dasha Fire. Both are out of 2005 Calif. Derby Chal.-G3 winner Dasha Freda. The Meneelys raced the mare, who has pro- duced 5 winners from 6 start- ers, including another stakes winner, Heza Fearless Dasher.
Sass Me Blue (Valiant Hero-Jess Sass Me) ran second for jockey Cody Jensen. Mike Casselman trains the filly for the Lucky Seven Ranch. Sass Me Blue finished third behind Heza Dasha Fire in the Golden State Derby. Jaime Gomez trains third-place Forget It (Foose-Forgive Him) and owns him in partner- ship with Dutch Masters III. Carlos Huerta is his regular rider and piloted him in the Super Derby. Completing the field were Take A Look (Separatist-Look Her Over), Kickin Your Can (Walk Thru Fire-Katie Katella), He Is The Risingstar (Mr Jess Perry-Meddlin Mischief), Chicanery (Stel Corona-California Wildfire), Tallulah Moon (Corona Cartel-Splendifferous), & Run By You (Apollitical Jess-Fovee).
Los Alamitos $803,012 • 400 yards :19.462 • si 98
First Down Dash
Walk Thru Fire
Sweet Beduino
HEZA DASHA FIRE, ’12-g.
Mr Jess Perry
Dasha Freda
Fearless Freda
Heza Dasha Fire & Cruz Mendez win the $803,012 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby by a length.
SPEEDHORSE, November 2015 111
RACING NEWS
Los Alamitos