Page 155 - July 2022

Otts Boy broke his maiden in an April 23 maiden race at Sam Houston. He then won his May 28 Futurity trial to qualify as the overall second fastest (the fastest time of the second day of trials) and is now undefeated from three starts.
“Anybody can say it after the fact, but when he popped out of that gates the way he did, I thought he had it won,” said Luke. “He can really leave those gates when he wants to.”
Keeton was winning his second Ruidoso Futurity, following the 2014 edition with Kiss My Hocks. Keeton has also trained multiple stakes winner Texasindependencegal, a full sister to Otts Boy, who earned nearly $200,000.
“I sent Toby a picture of Otts Boy when he was a yearling,” said Luke.
Keeton liked what he saw and told Luke, “I want that colt,” and Luke responded, “I want you to have that colt.”
But the path to Otts Boy’s victory truly began when Luke’s father was a boy.
“He won a race on an old brown horse in
a stock saddle when he was 15 years old,” said Luke. “It was just a match race. It stuck in him,
and he could never shake it. That’s what got it in his blood.”
By the time Luke was 21, Otto had bred the filly Return Flaming. The family couldn’t afford a trainer, so they trained her themselves. She ran last in her only start, prompting Luke to give up the racing business.
“Forty years later, I got back in it,” said Luke.
Since then, Return Flaming became the second dam of Mr Ottyes, who won two races and finished third in the 2004 Manor Downs Derby-G2 for Otto when trained by James Harris.
“That stud only ran out $42,000, and everybody begged my father to cut him,” said Luke. “But my dad wanted a stud horse and thank God he got a stud horse.”
Luke bought Lovely Legs, the dam of Otts Boy, from the late Leonard Lyne, a family friend who had bred the mare to Mr Ottyes for most of her career. Luke bred Lovely Legs back to Mr Ottyes in Texas in the name of his Goebel Welding Construction to get Otts Boy.
Lovely Legs has produced eight winners from nine starters. In addition to Otts Boy and
Texasindependencegal, her runners include stakes winner Mr Bay Legs and stakes-placed Jesslightning Legs and Ottyes Valentine, all by Mr Ottyes. Luke said he has two foals out of Lovely Legs born this year, a colt by Jess Good Candy and a filly by Kiss My Hocks.
Gettherefast (Tempting Dash-Get There), Keeton’s other finalist and the second-place finisher, is owned by Simmons Racing. Bryan Candanosa rode the gelding, who was two for two going into the Futurity final.
Jess Jones and Steve Holt’s homebred Hes Judgeandjury (Hes Relentless-Crazy Down Corona) finished third under jockey James Flores for trainer Heath Taylor. The gelding made his debut in his Futurity trial, which he won.
Completing the field were Ride Around (Favorite Cartel-Walk Around Blues), Chasing AJ (Apollitical Jess-Eye On This Candy), Powerful (Favorite Cartel-Remember The Rose), Laveen Eagle (One Dashing Eagle-Sonora Cartel), Lota Hot Mess (Lota PYC-I No Shes
A Hot Mess), and Beneficial (Favorite Cartel- Bemused). BV Higher Power was scratched.
RACING NEWS
Clay Reed Watkins with Tari and Luke Goebel.
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse