Page 62 - September 2018

Ruidoso Maintains High
Standards For Fair, Safe and
Impartial Racing
Trainer Asked to Leave Ruidoso Downs After All American Derby Trials
by Stacy Pigott
As of press time, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018
Less than 24 hours after winning four trials to the All American Derby and qualifying three horses to the finals, trainer Josue Ponce was asked to leave the grounds at Ruidoso Downs, which he did without protest.
The request was made after all four of Ponce’s horses exhibited signs of distress after their trial races. The horses were:
• Dashnunder Afullmoon, who won the third trial and posted the fastest
qualifying time of :21.131 for owner Rogelio Marquez Jr.;
• Fast Prize Rumor, who won the fourth trial and posted the sixth-fastest qualifying time of :21.453 for owner Jose Ernesto Guzman;
• PYC Fun N Fancy, who won the sixth trial and posted the 10th-fastest qualifying time of :21.533 for owners Jose Ernesto Guzman and Rito Sosa; and,
• Believe Me Irene, who won the 10th trial in a non-qualifying time of :21.592 for owner Diamond Racing Stables LLC.
Three of the horses were unable to return to the winner’s circle, and two – Fast Prize Rumor and Believe Me Irene – were vanned off the racetrack.
“We took a position that we needed to protect the welfare of these horses, and we asked Mr. Ponce to leave,” said Jeff True, president and general manager of All American Ruidoso Downs LLC. “He will not start any horses the remainder of this meet.”
All of the horses were among the favorites in their respective races, and all have had active trainer lines in the program. Dashnunder Afullmoon
is a multiple Graded stakes winner who has been saddled by five different trainers in his last six starts dating back to July 2017. Graded stakes finalist Fast Prize Rumor has raced for five trainers in 10 starts since March 2017. Ponce is the third trainer that Graded stakes winner PYC Fun N Fancy
has had in seven starts since June 2017. And Believe Me Irene, a Grade 1 stakes-placed filly who ran in last year’s All American Futurity-G1, is on her third trainer in five starts since Sept. 2017.
“These horses were all stakes horses -- they belonged. But the post-race performance was unusual for horses of that caliber,” True said. “Given that performance on Sunday, we thought the prudent thing to do was to take the care, custody and control of those horses away from Mr. Ponce.”
In Ponce’s absence, the horses were left under the care of their regular grooms. According to True, the veterinarian attending to the horses indi- cated they were all recovering well.
While Ponce isn’t welcome at Ruidoso Downs, the three horses that qualified for the All American Derby are still eligible to enter the finals, as long as the owners find new trainers. The horses will also need to pass the standard post-race drug testing that every horse went through, as well as the additional hair testing the 10 qualifiers underwent. The results of those tests were expected back before entries were taken for the finals.
“We expect the out-of-competition test hair testing back before entries. Based on previous timelines, the post-race testing of blood and urine
may not be back prior to entry time,” True said, indicating entries will be taken for the All American Derby on Monday, Aug. 27. “If test results are received after entry and action is required, the horse(s) will be scratched and none will move up. Any out-of-competition test that returns positive will keep the horse on the vet’s list 60 days.”
Ponce was not ranked in the AQHA’s list of the top 200 trainers by money won until 2016, when he debuted at No. 33 with $707,890 in total earnings and 25 wins from 96 starts. In 2017, he hit No. 15 with $977,110 banked after winning 27 of 103 starts.
This is not the first time this year Ruidoso Downs has exercised its right to deny access to the racetrack or backside. Earlier this year, trainer James Padgett was denied stalls & excluded from racing at Ru- idoso before the meet began.
Padgett and Race horses by Diamond G Ranch Inc. sued All American Ru- idoso Downs LLC, though the case was dismissed by the Lincoln County 12th Judicial District Court on May 21, four days before the 2018 meet began.
“We are exercising our private property rights to exclude who we wish for reasons that are not un-lawful,” True added. “It’s a privilege to run at Ruidoso Downs, not a right.”
60 SPEEDHORSE, September 2018