Page 54 - September 2019

A A D D e e l l i i g g h h t t f f u u l l D D a a s s h h e e r r w w i i n n s s t t h h e e 1 1 9 9 9 9 9 9 A A l l l l A A m m e e r r i i c c a a n n F F u u t t u u r r i i t t y y - - G G 1 1 u u n n d d e e r r j j o o c c k k e e y y J J o o e e B B a a d d i i l l l l a a J J r r. . f f o o r r o o w w n n e e r r G G w w e e n n d d o o l l y y n n E E a a v v e e s s a a n n d d t t r r a a i i n n e e r r J J o o h h n n B B a a s s s s e e t t t t . .
A Delightful Dasher
became the 1999
Champion 2 Year Old & Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding.
When we started our look at this group of All American Futurity winners, we saw that the team of Hugh Huntley and Newt Keck made it look easy by winning three of the first five All American Futurities. Then we saw that when Strawberry Silk won for trainer Jack Brooks
and jockey Jacky Martin, it was their fifth All American and it was looking easy for them,
too. But, for many it has been a major task to win this elusive race. The All American win
by A Delightful Dasher in 1999 shows that persistence can pay off, as this was the seventh try for his trainer John Bassett (Bassett went on to train one more All American Futurity winner with Ausual Suspect in 2001).
Gwendolyn Eaves was the owner and breeder of A Delightful Dasher, giving us another homebred winner. This gelding by Takin On The Cash and Eaves’ mare Fortune Of Delight by Six Fortunes started his race career winning
a maiden race at Ruidoso Downs in June 1999. He came back in July to run second in his
trial for the Rainbow Futurity, coming back to win the finals and setting him up for the All American trials.
A Delightful Dasher came off his Rainbow win in good order and kept it going with a win in his All American trial for the fastest time of :21.53. He was followed by trial winner He Rocks in :21.62; trial winner Snappy Dragon in :21.70; Tell Her More, who was second to
A Delightful Dasher, in :21.74; trial winner Familiar Faces in :21.75; trial winner Tiny First
Down in :21.77; trial winner Southern Cash Man in :21.79; trial winner Moolah Memories in :21.80; trial winner Significant Speed in :21.82; and trial winner Chicks Call Me in :21.92.
When the gates opened for the All American finals, A Delightful Dasher was away quickly. As they raced down the track, however, Significant Speed took the lead. As they headed for home, A Delightful Dasher made what became his patented move to come from behind, and he regained the lead from Significant Speed. In the middle of the track, Chicks Call Me was moving toward the leaders. When the photo finish was processed,
it was A Delightful Dasher with the win by a
short head over Chicks Call Me in second and Significant Speed in third. A Delightful Dasher won the race in :21.60 for the 440 yards under
his regular jockey Joe Badilla Jr. They earned $1,040,145. The first three were followed across the line by Tiny First Down, Southern Cash Man, He Rocks, Familiar Faces, Moolah Memories and Tell Her More. Snappy Dragon was scratched, giving him the tenth place check.
A Delight Dasher continued racing at Los Alamitos in November with a win in his trial and in the finals of the Golden State Futurity. The comments on this race indicate that A Delightful Dasher put in a “late surge” to
win by a neck. He made seven starts with six wins and one second in 1999. He earned $1,504,154 for the year. He was named
the AQHA Champion Two Year Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding.
A Delightful Dasher wins the 1999 All American Futurity