Page 178 - January 2022

RACING NEWS
Evangeline Downs Derby
DENALIA SWEET JESS
by Michael Cusortelli
Jose H. Rodriguez’s Denalia Sweet Jess extended his win streak to four with an easy victory in the $153,360 Evangeline Downs Derby at Evangeline Downs on Dec. 30.
The fastest qualifier and 11-10 favorite in a full field of 10, Denalia Sweet Jess covered 400 yards in :19.637 while racing against a reported 5-mph head wind, and his winning margin was a 1/2-length from fourth-fastest qualifier and 9-2 second choice Diane
To Be A Hero. Everardo
Rodriguez rode the gray son
of One Sweet Jess for trainer
Rosendo Valdez Jr.
Denalia Sweet Jess was coming off of a 2 1/2-length victory in the fourth of six Evangeline Downs Derby trials on Dec. 4. The colt was bred in Louisiana by Russell P. Mowad, and he was purchased by Rodriguez for $9,000 at the 2019 LQHBA Yearling Sale.
Southern California Derby-G2
Denalia Sweet Jess is out of Denali Chick, an 11-year-old daughter of the Beduino TB stallion Chicks Beduino. He traces back to his third dam, Painted Bug, a stakes-winning daughter of the Lady Bug’s Moon stallion Shawne Bug who ran third in the 1982 Sun Country and Blue Ribbon futurities.
Denalia Sweet Jess’ win streak includes a wire-to-wire, 1 1/2-length victory in a 400-
yard $18,000 non-winners- of-three allowance dash at Evangeline Downs on Oct. 21. All told, the colt has won five of seven races -- including three of three at Evangeline Downs and at the 400-yard distance -- and the $76,680 winner’s share of this purse from his first career stakes victory increase his earnings to $155,313.
Denalia Sweet Jess’ 2-year-old record included a
third-place run, a neck behind winner El Camino CL, in the 300-yard $315,000 Mardi Gras Futurity-RG2 for state-breds at Louisiana Downs.
Diane To Be A Hero (Valiant Hero-Diane To Paint) was second under Raul Ramirez Jr. for owner Rogelio Marquez Jr. & trainer Hector Alcala. In a dead-heat for third were: One Slick Delight (One Famous Eagle-Volcoms Delight) under Victor Uritea Jr. for owner Alonzo Olvera Neri & trainer Alonso Neri; and TM Evening Dancer (Apollitical Blood-Backs To The Wall) under Ubaldo Luna
for owner Rosendo Valdez & trainer John Foutch. Followed by Louisiana Blue Fire (Jess Louisiana Blue-Where Love Began), Dashing Jess Cuervo (Jess Cuervo-Dashing Well), Blame The Fed (Favorite Cartel-Eagle On The Fly), TMF Rogue Runner (Five Bar Cartel-Jess A Rogue), Jrs Shiney Tee (Tee Cos-Arrangel To Shine), & EC Fama (Apollitical Jess-First Carolina).
Zynda Racing’s homebred Everlong (Apollitical Jess-Foo Who) was 2nd under Jimmy Brooks for trainer Eddie D. Willis. The gelding broke his maiden at Los Alamitos and captured an allowance race at Ruidoso Downs. He was a finalist in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby-G2 and Town Policy Stakes.
Jaime Gomez owns and trains third-place finisher J Best Boogie (Docs Best Card-Boogie Special). Oscar Peinado rode the filly, who won the 2021 Tammi Purcell Handicap and was third in the Golden State Million Futurity-G1.
Followed by Monopolist (Favorite Cartel- Nymph), Apollitical Hero (Apollitical Jess-Belle Of Valor), La Estrella Corona (Corona Czech- Shadow Lake TB), In My Heart (Apollitical Jess- Heartbeat), Tuckk (Tres Seis-Shez Jess Nice), O Donovan Rossa (Apollitical Jess-Shanachee), and Karl Strauss (Foose-Babe On The Fly).
Evangeline Downs
$153,360 • 400 yards :19.637 • si 94
Mr Jess Perry
One Sweet Jess
One Sweet Dash
DENALIA SWEET JESS, ‘18-c.
Chicks Beduino
Denali Chick
Eye Like Beduino
A DASH OF SIGN
by Tracy Gantz
Los Alamitos may not see much more of trainer Mike Robbins, who saddled A Dash Of Sign to win the $150,600 Southern
California Derby-G2 on Dec. 19. The 72-year-old trainer said he will train one more year before retiring, but spend that year stabled closer to home, at Remington Park, Ruidoso Downs, and Lone Star Park.
“I’ll stay in the horse business some way or another,” Robbins said. “I’ll have to
find something to do to keep
me busy.”
Robbins chose a good way to wind up his business at Los Alamitos, though he said he could send good prospects out for one or two of Los Alamitos’ big races. Reliance Ranches’ A Dash Of Sign, second in the 2021 Los Alamitos Adequan Derby Challenge and Tammi Purcell Handicap, put it all together in the Southern California Derby.
When the gate opened, A Dash Of Sign broke second and brushed slightly with the horse to her outside. But that didn’t bother her, as she soon went to the lead for jockey Jonathan Roman and held it to the wire of the 400-yard event. A Dash Of Sign won by a 1/2-length in :19.658.
The $63,252 winner’s share takes her earnings to $178,488.
“She’s so easy to train,” said Robbins. “Not a lot you have to do to her. You
can do too much with her and kind of confuse her. She’s pretty good sized. It’s quite a special deal to win with her tonight.”
The Mixer Ranch bred
A Dash Of Sign in Oklahoma from its homebred mare
A Tres Of Paint, a graded stakes winner and earner of $509,184. A Tres Of Paint has produced three winners from five starters, including stakes- placed AJs Tres Of Paint.
176 SPEEDHORSE January 2022
Los Alamitos
$150,600 • 400 yards :19.658 • si 95
First Down Dash
Tempting Dash
A Tempting Chick
A DASH OF SIGN, ‘18-f. Tres Seis A Tres Of Paint
First Painted Sign
Los Alamitos Coady Photography