Page 127 - May 2017

Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby-RG3
APOLLITICAL SCOUT
by Tracy Gantz
Preston and Karen Cloud usually buy geld- ings at sales, but when Preston saw filly Apollitical Scout at the 2015 Heritage Place
Yearling Sale, he quickly changed his mind. “She really seemed on her toes and was
just a nice filly all the way around, other than being small,” said Preston. “That didn’t bother me. She was just a classy filly.”
Preston bought her for $18,000, and she proved a bargain last year at two when she became a stakes winner. Apollitical Scout demonstrated her worth even more this year by upsetting Eye N Capo, the odds-on favorite,
to win the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby-RG3 on April 22.
“The race was dynamite,” said Preston. “The little filly just runs her heart out every time. She never quits trying. We had a good jockey, a good trainer, and a good horse. Everything’s got to go perfect.”
Clinton Crawford trains Apollitical Scout for the Clouds, and Omar Reyes rode her, as he did when she went wire-to-wire in her April 9 qualifying trial. In the 400-yard final, the filly broke second from the outside post and responded to Reyes’ urging to win by a neck in :19.674. The $122,160 winner’s share boosted the filly’s earnings to $197,660.
“I just kept riding her and stayed after her
to make sure they wouldn’t catch me,” said Reyes.
Reyes and the Clouds were winning the race for the first time. Crawford captured it once before, with This Candys Awesome in 2014.
Crawford started
Apollitical Scout at
Remington last year, and she
ran second in a maiden race.
She broke her maiden by
winning the Ruidoso Juvenile
Invitational, and the only time she finished worse than third in 2016 was when she was bumped from both sides in her All American Fututurity-G1 trial. She closed out her 2-year- old season with a third in the Southwest Juvenile Championship-G1 at Zia Park.
“She didn’t have any easy campaign at two—it was all Grade 1 and Grade 2 com- pany,” Preston said.
Dan and Louise Jones bred Apollitical Scout in Oklahoma out of lightly raced Swingin Cartel. Swingin Cartel has produced four starters/winners, including 2015 O.B. Cockerell Handicap winner One Famous Swinger and stakes-placed Swingit Lika Man. The mare is a half-sister to stakes winners
Swingin Val and Swingin Otoole. Swingin Val won the 1996 Rainbow Futurity-G1 and 1997 Ruidoso Derby-G1, as well as stakes in Mexico. With that pedigree, Apollitical Scout has a bright future.
“She’s sound, and we hope that she’ll win some more races for us,” said Preston. “She’ll make a good broodmare.”
Previously undefeated Eye N Capo (Capo De Capi-Satisfeyen) finished second under Damian Martinez for trainer Erika Huitron and owner Ruben Garcia Montemayor. As And Js (Apollitical Jess-Adolph Tres Knockout) ran third under Gerardo Garrido. Manuel Mata trains the filly for owner Leonardo Alcala.
In 4th was Lethal Class (Tres Seis-Miss Lethal), in a dead-heat for 5th were G2 finalist V Power (Valiant Hero-Ferarri Fast Prize) and Dicecapades (Prospect To The Top-Dicey Riley), followed by Knockemout Capi (Capo De Capi-Eyesa Knockout), Eye Eye Captain (Captain Courage-Eye My Alexis), Political Bliss (Apollitical Jess-Blissful Beth) & Cartel Envy (Carters Cartel-Crazy Down Corona).
Remington Park $305,400 • 400 yards :19.674 • si 93
Mr Jess Perry
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Time
APOLLITICAL SCOUT, ’14-f.
Corona Cartel
Swingin Cartel
Swingin Alive
Apollitical Scout wins the $305,400 Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby-RG3 by a neck under Omar Reyes..
SPEEDHORSE, May 2017 125
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography