Page 142 - Speedhorse June 2019

Heritage Place Derby-G3
APOLLITICAL PENCE
by Tracy Gantz
When Apollitical Pence won the June 1 Heritage Place Derby-G2 at Remington Park, owners Matt and Bendi Dunn celebrated with their family, friends, and many involved with their Dunn Ranch.
“We had our whole crew there—it was pretty special,” said Bendi. “We were able to bring a lot of people who work for us at the ranch.”
The only bittersweet aspect to the victory was that Mike Womack, their good friend and co- breeder of Apollitical Pence, had recently died.
“He passed away the Monday after the trials,” said Bendi. “It’s been a little bit of an emotional thing. He was a really good friend of ours. He loved Pence. He really cheered us on. He loved Quarter Horse racing. He was basically an encyclopedia of everything with Quarter Horse racing. Matt and Mike would talk on the phone for hours about horses.”
Apollitical Pence had won his May 12 Heritage Place Derby trial wire-to-wire, quali- fying the second fastest.
Sent away as the favorite in the finals with Ricky Ramirez aboard, Apollitical Pence led almost from the start and won by a neck, stop- ping the timer in :19.469 for 400 yards.
“He ran a really good race in the trials,” said Ramirez. “I tried to save a little bit for the finals, and it worked out.”
Trey and Blane Wood started Apollitical Pence, who last year at Remington broke his maiden and ran third in the Laico Bird Stakes when trained by Trey.
The Dunns had the gelding paid into sev- eral futurities in California and decided to send him to Los Alamitos.
“Trey and his dad weren’t going to California last year,” said Bendi. “They suggested Monty Arrossa, and he was amazing. You could not have asked for a better person. He’s been outstanding. He was a huge part of this win.”
In California, Apollitical
Pence qualified to the
2018 Ed Burke Million
Futurity-G1, Golden State
Million Futurity-G1, and
Los Alamitos $2 Million
Futurity-G1, finishing third in
the Golden State. This year he qualified to Los Alamitos’ El Primero Del Ano Derby-G3 and ran second by just a neck to Powerful Favorite.
“I want to thank the owners for bringing him back,” stated Ramirez. “He did a lot of good in California, but Trey told me they
were bringing him back to us for the Heritage Place Derby and I was pretty excited about that. Turned out to be a good outcome.”
Apollitical Pence has been a “good, solid horse,” said Bendi. “He’s good to be around. He has a big heart and he tries hard. He deserved this.”
The Dunns, who are from Bismarck, Missouri, now also own their ranch in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. They bred Apollitical Pence in Oklahoma with Womack Cavender Farms from the Tres Seis mare Send City. The mare, who has produced one winner in two starters, is out of 1996 Remington Park Futurity-G1 winner Send Me The Candy. Send City is a half-sister to graded stakes winners Send Me A Candy
Tree, This Candys Special, and This Candys Royal, as well as to four stakes-placed runners. Another half-sister, Jess Send Candy, produced Champion Jess Good Candy.
“Because of Mr. Womack, we were able to own this mare,” said Bendi. “We never would
Remington Park $367,750 • 400 yards :19.469 • si 96
Mr Jess Perry
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Time
APOLLITICAL PENCE, ’16-g.
Tres Seis
Send City
Send Me The Candy
140 SPEEDHORSE, June 2019
Apollitical Pence & Ricky Ramirez win the $367,750 Heritage Place Derby
RACING NEWS
Dustin Orona Photography