Page 82 - 2 November 2012

PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G3
IMA CHICkIe two
by Stacy Pigott
kathy Meneely wasn’t going to do it, but in the end, a friend insisted. And so it was that when she appeared in the winner’s circle
after Ima Chickie Two’s win in the $160,000 PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G3 on Oct. 5 at Los Alamitos, Kathy was wearing the same
red shirt she donned last year, when the filly romped home victorious in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity-G2. Superstitions about good-luck shirts aside, the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby win made Ima Chickie Two only the fourth horse—joining Hawkish, Make It Anywhere and A Zure Hope Too—in the 29-year history of the PCQHRA Breeders’ races to sweep the 2- and 3-year-old events.
Racing for S-Quarter K LLC, made up of Don and Kathy Meneely and their son Shawn, Ima Chickie Two ran a perfect race to set a stakes record in last year’s $500,000 PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity. This year, she had to over- come some trouble to score in the Derby.
“I was a little nervous, because she makes her lead at the start, and today she fell down a little bit,” said trainer Jose Flores. “She got into some trouble. She fell a little bit at the start and then got bumped and lost her hind end, but she recovered and got it done. She didn’t let them get by her today.”
Ridden by Ramon Sanchez, Ima Chickie Two recovered quickly from her troubled start and sprinted to the early lead from post posi- tion five. She led the field by three-quarters of a length for a majority of the 400-yard race, and needed most of that cushion to hold off late challenges from Separate Thoughts and Chicks Boudro. At the wire, Ima Chickie Two held on to win by a neck, with Separate Thoughts and jockey Antonio Alberto nosing out Chicks Boudro and Cody Jensen for the place position.
Ima Chickie Two earned $67,200 to take her career earnings to $346,448. She has won five of 13 starts including two stakes. She was also second in the Governor’s Cup Derby-RG2 and eighth in both the Kindergarten-G1 and Governor’s Cup-RG2 futurities.
“You’re always a little worried if, as a 2-year-old the horse ran really well. Can she run and compete as a 3-year-old, or was that just kind of a fluke year?” said Don Meneely. “But she’s had a tremendous campaign, run- ning second in the Governor’s Cup (Derby) and winning this race. It’s really exciting. She’s just a fabulous mare.”
Ima Chickie Two had ended her juvenile
season with her PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity win, and during the winter, underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in a knee. The Meneelys tried to flush an embryo from the mare, hoping to breed
her to Walk Thru Fire, but
she didn’t settle in time and
instead, returned to the race-
track for the Governor’s Cup
Derby trials on July 14. After
a pair of second-place finishes
in the trials and finals of that race, the filly quickly returned for the trials to the Golden State Derby on Aug. 12.
“We thought we would try to run her back in the Golden State Derby, even though it was only two weeks after the Governor’s Cup and we didn’t like that,” said Kathy, indicating they were hoping to add a Grade 1 race to the filly’s record. “But she fell coming out of the gate, and the one horse smashed her into the three and the three smashed her back into the one, then she backed up and went around to the inside and she was running hard. And then they hit her again. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
Ima Chickie Two will get another shot at a Grade 1 derby when she returns for the Southern California Derby trials on Dec. 2. It would be fitting, as the Chicks Beduino daughter is from a family of Grade 1 stakes winners. Her dam,
winner First Down Dream, has produced three winners from seven starters, and is a sister to Champion Tiny First Effort and Tiny First Down—both of which won the Southern California Derby.
“We want to keep her sound and let her run as long as she can,” said Don. “She’s a magnificent mare and is bringing us a lot of pleasure.”
Dan Francisco saddled Ovidio V. Ferreira’s Chicks Boudro to a third-place finish. Chicks Boudro (Chicks Beduino-Beat Your Pants Off) was also third in the Dillingham Handicap and eighth in the Governor’s Cup Derby.
The top three were followed by Feature Jessie Gail (Feature Mr Jess-Streakin Jessie Gail), Bar Closer (TR Dasher-Singles Scene), Once Over (Walk Thru Fire-Look Her Over), First Specialist (First Down Dash-Specialista), Pony Drive (Hawkinson-Streakit Special), Carne Vino (First Down Dash-Babe On The Fly), and Sweetest Illusion (Mr Jess Perry-Alethia).
80 SPEEDHORSE, November 2, 2012
Los Alamitos $160,000 • 400 yards :19.870 • si 82
*Beduino-TB
Chicks Beduino
A Classy Chicks
IMA CHICKIE TWO, ’09-f.
First Down Dash
First Down Dream
Tinys Effort
Separate Thoughts Alimony-TB), who had
(Separatist-A Lil’
defeated Ima Chickie Two in their PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby trial to set the top qualifying time, finished second in the final for owners Ed and Theresa DeNike. Pat Visscher trains the filly, who won the 2012 La Pacifica Handicap.
Ima Chickie Two held off Separate Thoughts to her inside and Chicks Boudro on the outside to win by a neck.
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