Page 153 - Speedhorse August 2018

buckets in the afternoon. That’s all there is to it. No special formulas, diets, or anything else.”
Perhaps this is fortunate, too. The filly, at 1,100 pounds, probably needs to eat plenty. She has a good appetite and this is what Bertrand goes by.
Pat Simpson said practically the same words one morning at Ruidoso Downs. He had spent over 50 years working with Quarter Horses.
His words were: “I know how some horsemen feel about it, but I feed a horse all he wants. Always have.” The day before, Mr. Simpson’s charge, Tonto Bars Hank, had won the 1960 All American Futurity
Maybe there is another factor in the tale
of Pass Over. Good luck has certainly smiled on the four individuals involved – the owner, the rider, the trainer, and the filly. In addi- tion, there is confidence shown all through. Bertrand isn’t worried one bit about the filly’s difficulty in starting. He knows she has plenty left to come through first. Ober, at 18, has already earned over $30,000 sitting astride Pass Over. He says, “We’re ready for the Rainbow and the All American.”
The filly herself, the way she makes up ground after a bad start, must have confidence. It increases the closer she gets to the finish line.
Yes, Pass Over is a Cinderella all right. No one dreamed she was anywhere near as good
as she was. Jack Delmar had no idea. It was very, very fortunate he found out in the nick of time. She showed her amazing running ability at Sunland Park. Just by a hair was Delmar able to get her into the Kansas. He had to pay a $5,900 supplement fee to do it. Then, he had to pay $3,000 to get Pass Over into the Rainbow
Pass Over after winning the Sun Country Futurity, equaling the track record she set in her trial, on May 6, 1973, with AQHA director of racing Don Essary, owner Jack Delmar, Mrs. Delmar, groom Tee Ramos, jockey Tad Ober, trainer Jim Bertrand, and Mrs. Bertrand.
and $8,000 into the All American. He notes, “I think we have a good shot at winning both.”
If it turns out that way, the filly will be the first to win the coveted Triple Crown at Ruidoso Downs. Her earnings will be an all-time high. And, for a long, long time, folks will talk about the filly who came out of the unknown to make her mark in racing annals.
Note: Pass Over did not get to go for the Triple Crown. She finished second in her trial to the
Rainbow Futurity, the second leg of the Triple Crown, and failed to qualify to the finals. She did, however, go on to win the first ever All American Derby in 1974. She was ended her career with a record of 39-14(5)-10(5)-4(3) and $521,076, a New Track Record, the 1973 Champion 2-Year- Old Filly title and the 1974 Champion 3-Year- Old Filly title. The filly moved on to become a broodmare, producing 14 race money earners. Including stakes placed Special At Midnight.
Pass Over won her last race in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship on Aug. 16, 1975.
SPEEDHORSE, August 2018 151
LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM JULY 1973 ISSUE
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