Page 76 - 8 February 2013

OCHOA si 99, $2,619,741
Champion 3-Year-Old, Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding, All-Time Leading Earner
Tres Seis
Sixarun
Our Third Delight
Streakin Six
Chickarun
Reb’s Policy TB
Tiny’s Delight
First Down Dash
Strawberry Silk
Six Fortunes
Splashing Bunny si 98
Easy Six
Miss Assured
Chick’s Deck
Ida Run
New Policy
Yenoh Reb
Tiny Watch
Gay’s Delight
Dash For Cash
First Prize Rose
Beduino TB
Painted Bug
Streakin Six
My Fortune Cookie
Jet Creek si 103
Ester’s Bunny si 88
Easy Jet
Peggy Toro
Little Request TB Assured
Three Chicks Decketta
Top Conference TB Peggy Clabber Khaled
Feu Follet Berseem
Honey Did
Anchor Watch TB Clabber Tiny Rocket Bar TB Miss Ginger Gay
Rocket Wrangler
Find A Buyer TB Gallant Jet
Rose Bug
Romany Royal Jo-Ann-Cat
Shawne Bug
Miss Painted Clown TB Easy Six
Miss Assured Timeto Thinkrich Dee Mount
Jet Deck si 100 Negra Creek Bunny Bid
Esters Little Klu TB
Jet Deck
Lena’s Bar TB
Hijo The Bull TB Prescott Peggy Joe Requested
Little Wichita
Direct Win TB
Sally Rand V
Three Bars TB Chicado V
Top Deck TB
Lady Thomas Wilson Traffic Judge Fiendish
Clabber II
Irene Ahr
Hyperion
Eclair
Fair Trial
Caprifolia Bernborough
Little Priss
He Did
Filomena
Degage
L’Admiralte
Clabber II
Tiny Iny TB
Three Bars
Golden Rocket Palleo Pete
Ginger Gay
Rocket Bar TB Go Galla Go To Market Hide And Seek Jet Deck
Leo Jewel
Lady Bug’s Moon Casco Rose
Grey Sovereign Romany Belle Rejected
Quick Eye
Lady Bug’s Moon Shawne Win
Dead Ahead
Talk About Run Easy Jet
Peggy Toro
Little Request TB Assured Aforethought TB Chronometer Killoqua TB Vancent Dee
Moon Deck si 95 Miss Night Bar si 95 Afton Creek TB Negra Gila
Double Bid si 100 Easter Rose
Big Klu
Little Ester
OCHOA, ‘09 g.
Stoli
Stolis Fortune
Splashing Fortune
Breeder: John Jones Jr. Interests, Ltd. Owners: J Bar 7, Monte & Katsy Cluck, and
Doug Benson
Trainer: C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath Jockeys: Roy Baldillez
2012 Record: 8-6(2)-0(0)-0(0), $1,375,541,
1st All American Derby-G1, 1st Rainbow Derby-G1, 5th Texas Classic Derby-G1, 9th Ruidoso Derby-G1
Ochoa just keeps adding to an already stellar record. In 2011, the Tres Seis gelding was the Champion 2-Year-Old and
Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding after winning the All American Futurity-G1. In 2012, he added wins in the Rainbow Derby-G1 and the All American Derby-G1, completing a rare All American double. As if that wasn’t enough, that win, worth $938,507, made him Quarter Horse racing’s new all-time leading money earner, passing Stolis Winner for the honor. He also added two new championships to his resume—2012 Champion 3-Year-Old and Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding.
Ochoa is owned by his breeder, John T.L. and Brenda Jones’ J Bar 7 Ranch of Quanah, Texas, in partnership with Monte and Katsy Cluck and Doug Benson. In a now familiar story, Jones bought Ochoa back for $25,000 and offered an interest in the colt to a couple of good friends. No one could have forseen the success the friends would have along the way.
“He’s just an awesome horse, and we’re very fortunate to own him,” Jones said of Ochoa. “We’re very fortunate to have bred him, and we’re very fortunate that the Lord blessed us with him.
“I’ve gotta give all the credit to (trainer) Sleepy (Gilbreath),” he added. “I didn’t sleep with him, but Sleepy did.”
Gilbreath calls Ochoa one of the best horses he has ever trained—high praise coming from the man who saddled the likes of multiple Champion Refrigerator and 2011 World Champion Cold Cash 123.
“It feels great,” Gilbreath said of breaking the earnings record. “He’s just a great horse, and he’s the richest-earning horse as a 3-year- old. We’d like to run him some more and increase the record.”
Ochoa ended 2012 with a fifth-place finish in the Texas Classic Derby-G1 at Lone Star Park, instead of claiming the berth he earned to the Champion Of Champions-G1 at Los Alamitos, where he would have faced older horses. His earnings stand at $2,619,741, a fig- ure that could rise as his connections have indi- cated he will return to the races in 2013.
Ochoa wins the All American Derby by 1 1/4-lengths at Ruidoso Downs.
74 SPEEDHORSE, February 8, 2013
Stacy Pigott: Speedhorse