Page 43 - 25 May 2012

Bank of America Remington Park Championship Challenge-G2
LLAno TeLLeR
by Tracy Gantz
Terry Wootan makes sure that Llano, Texas, has plenty to root for in Quarter Horse racing. Wootan’s businesses include a local bar- becue restaurant there, but it’s his racehorses that sport the Llano name. His best is Llano Teller, who won the May 6 Bank of America Remington Park Championship Challenge-G2 and raised his lifetime earnings to $1,645,051.
“Everybody keeps up with him, and it’s good for the community,” said Wootan. “Whenever he wins, there’s usually a bunch of articles written about him.”
The Llano reporters can keep busy because Llano Teller wins often. His first stakes victory came at Remington in the 2010 Remington Park Futurity-G1, and last year he won the All American Derby-G1 and Ruidoso Derby-G1 at Ruidoso Downs.
But perhaps none came as easily as the Championship Challenge, where Llano Teller went off as the 2-5 favorite. He broke well and went to the front immediately in the 440-yard race. Jockey G.R. Carter Jr. knew that he had plenty of horse.
“He is the utmost class in this field, and
he left the gate really well,” said the champion rider. “About halfway I kind of cruised on him and put the whip away because he had the race pretty well in hand.”
That allowed Mr Truly Uno to close some ground, though Llano Teller won by a half- length in :21.447.
“He kind of scared me there,” said Wootan. “I told G.R. that he about gave me a heart attack.” Carter said that the gelding pulled himself
up a little.
“If I had put a little more pressure on him,
he would have finished up with more but didn’t need to today,” Carter said.
Wootan bred Llano Teller in the name of Wootan Racing, and the gelding races for the partnership of Wootan Racing and trainer Jeffrey (Heath) Reed’s Reed Land and Cattle.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” said Wootan. “He gives you 100% every time he comes out. Sometimes he gives you too much. He breaks so hard that he sometimes falls on his nose.”
That’s what happened at Los Alamitos last winter in the Champion of Champions-G1. Llano Teller stumbled and finished sixth.
“You can’t spot that caliber of horses two lengths,” said Wootan, who hopes Llano Teller gets another chance at the race this year.
The All American Derby, where he defeated eventual World Champion Cold Cash
123, was the complete opposite.
“He shot out there so fast that they didn’t
know what happened,” said Wootan. Around the barn, Llano Teller’s laid-back
personality resembles “an old roping horse,” Wootan said. “When you get him to the track, he completely changes his attitude.”
Wootan bought Annie Eye Over, the dam of Llano Teller, as a year-
ling. She won one of four
races, but Wootan retired
her early because she was a bad bleeder. The mare, who died a couple of years ago, has produced 10 winners from 11 starters, includ- ing stakes winner Eyesa Lil Cuervo and stakes-placed winners Lil Annie Eye Over and Whonew.
The breeder has three
half-sisters to Llano Teller
in his broodmare band. He
also bred and races 2-year-old Llano Cartel, who is out of Eyesa Lil Cuervo. Llano Cartel finished second in this year’s Remington Park
Juvenile Stakes.
Roy Baldillez piloted Mr Truly Uno
(Feature Mr Jess-Truley Yours). Dwayne Gilbreath trains the 5-year-old gelding for owner Sally Box. He was coming off a victory in the SLM Big Daddy Stakes at Remington.
Smokey Stone (A Regal Choice-Madonna Effort) finished third under Cody Wainscott.
Faustino Gonzalez and Aurelio Juarez own the 5-year-old geld- ing, and Alonzo Loya trains him. Smokey Stone finished second in the 2010 Rainbow Derby-G1, third in the 2010 All American Derby, and second in the 2011 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes-G2.
Rounding out the field were Little Bit Of Baja (First Down Dash-BCR Pale Moon), Struttin High (Struttin To Beduino-Regally Rare), Avisionofgreatness (Bully
Bullion-First Down Chic), and Shake Em Special Pop (Royal Shake Em-Gotta Special Pop). Shaboomator was scratched.
Remington Park $100,530 • 440 yards :21.447 • si 99
Corona Cartel
Teller Cartel
Jet Along Jamie
LLANO TELLER, ’08-g.
Mr Eye Opener
Annie Eye Over
Six Gun Annie
Llano Teller makes a wire-to-wire run in the $100,530 Grade 2 Bank of America Remington Park Championship Challenge under jockey G. R. Carter, Jr.
SPEEDHORSE, May 25, 2012 43
racing news
Dustin orona Photography