Page 68 - 20 July 2012

Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge
PAnDoRum
by Tracy Gantz
The Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge was a family affair. Not only did Joe Kirk Fulton own and breed winner Pandorum and second- place Sweet Oblivion, the two fillies are closely related. Daring Difference is the dam of Sweet Oblivion and the second dam of Pandorum.
Sweet Oblivion was expected to outperform her relative. She won her trial by 3 1/2 lengths with the fastest-qualifying time. Pandorum finished second in her trial
behind second-fastest quali-
fier Thor Of Fire after losing
her footing at the start.
When the gate opened
in the June 30 final, favored Sweet Oblivion took the
lead. Pandorum, breaking slightly outward from post 10, immediately made up ground to challenge her stablemate. She surged past approaching the wire to win by a length
in :20.096 for the 400 yards.
The victory gives Pandorum a berth in the Adequan Derby Challenge Championship-G1 on Oct. 27 at Prairie Meadows.
Roy Baldillez rode Pandorum for the first time. In her five previous starts, Pandorum won three races, including the 2011 Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge-G3. In that stakes, she set a 350-yard track record of :17.326. Mike Robbins trains Pandorum and
Sweet Oblivion. He also con- ditioned Fulton’s 1984 World Champion Dashs Dream.
Fulton bred Pandorum in Texas from homebred Daring Diversion, who finished third in the 2004 Los Alamitos Million Juvenile-RG3. Pandorum is the mare’s first foal. Second dam Daring Difference has produced Sweet Oblivion as well as four other stakes-placed runners. She won the 1994 Heritage Place
Futurity-G1 and was a finalist in that year’s All American Futurity-G1.
Jose Alvarez piloted Sweet Oblivion (Mr Jess Perry-Daring Difference) to second in the final over Mr Taka B (Feature Mr Jess-Taka Puna), ridden by Freddie Martinez. Sweet Oblivion won three of her four starts prior to the final. John Stinebaugh trains Mr Taka B for owner Vanessa Bartoo. The gelding finished third in the 2011 Sunland Park Winter Futurity-G2.
Completing the field were Wahoo (Feature Mr Jess-First To Celebrate),
Nemo Time B (Finding Nemo-Time For Juliette), Thor Of Fire (Walk Thru Fire- Aclassymoove), Tac The Money N Run (Tac It Like A Man-Plantinum Performance), All About Jessie (Mr Jess Perry-All About Ease), and Zenergy (First Down Dash-No Fees). Grace Gone Wild was scratched.
Ruidoso Downs $45,450 • 400 yards :20.096 • si 80
Sixarun
Tres Seis
Our Third Delight
PANDORUM, ’09-f.
Strawfly Special
Daring Diversion
Daring Difference
Racing news
Higheasterjet Handicap-G3
A ToSS uP
by John Moorehouse
AToss Up was elevated to first place in the $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap-G3 after two of the first four horses to reach the finish line were disqualified due to separate incidents. It marks the fifth career stakes victory for A Toss Up, and his seventh win in 12 outs.
James Sills and Abel Flores, A Toss Up’s owners, reaped an $18,000 payday that improved the gelding’s bankroll to $298,072.
A Toss Up drew the outside position of the 10-horse field. He veered
out emerging from the gate, but it might have been a good thing. He avoided a big traffic jam in the middle of the track, and had a fairly clear path to challenge JD Baccarat for the lead. JD Baccarat reached the wire first, beating A Toss Up by a neck. However, JD Baccarat was disqualified from first
66 SPEEDHORSE, July 20, 2012
place to last for lugging out at the start and disrupting the path of Buildemhigh.
Prepped by Eddie Willis, A Toss Up finished the race in :17.444 for a 92 speed index, two-hundredths of a second behind JD Baccarat. Jockey Jimmy Brooks rode A Toss Up, who was bred by Sills out of the 2002 mare Shake Cartel. Also owned by Sills and Flores, Shake Cartel has three foals, all of
which are starters and hold black type. A Toss Up is the sole stakes winner.
Noconi, the former AQHA Champion Aged Gelding and winner of
last year’s version of the Higheasterjet, was elevated to second place when Double Chiseled was disqualified
for lugging in as part of the traffic jam in the middle of the track during the race. R.D. Hubbard and the J Bar
7 Ranch LLC own Noconi (Mr Jess Perry-My Dashing Lady), trained by Paul Jones and ridden by Esgar Ramirez. Noconi was run- ning with 129 pounds, matching his career high burden. The disqualifications moved Buildemhigh into third place. Edilberto Estrada owns Buildemhigh (Feature Mr Jess- Okeydokey Baby), a Johnny Ruiz trainee who had Alejandro Medellin aboard.
The remaining order of finish was Motorcity Madman (Ocean Runaway-Los
Al Fly), No Ordinary Love (Check Him Out-Lady Tenaya), Sir Seth (First Down Dash-Quiet Courage), Double Chiseled (SC Chiseled In Stone-Specially Double), Big Bad Strawfly (Genuine Strawfly-Straight Talkin Mama), Kool Angel (First N Kool-Angels Best Effort) and JD Baccarat (Mr Jess Perry- Sizzling Lola).
Ruidoso Downs $30,000 • 350 yards :17.444 • si 92
First Down Dash
Sweet First Down
Sweet Bye And Bye
A TOSS UP, ’09-g.
Corona Cartel
Shake Cartel
Shake N Quack
Ruidoso Downs Ruidoso Downs