Page 69 - 20 July 2012

merial Fort erie Distaff Challenge
LeAninToiT
by John Moorehouse
Leanintoit was named the top Quarter Horse of the Year in Ontario at the conclusion
of the 2011 campaign. The talented 3-year-
old shows no sign of slowing down in 2012. Leanintoit improved to 2-0 in as many outs during her sophomore campaign, posting a dominant victory in the $43,639 Merial Fort Erie Distaff Challenge on July 2 at Fort Erie.
Not only did it mark the fourth stakes win of Leanintoit’s career,
it also qualified the filly for
the $125,000 Merial Distaff
Challenge Championship
taking place on Oct. 27 at
Prairie Meadows in Iowa.
Time will tell whether the
filly owned by Don Ito and
Richard Wincikaby makes
the trip, though.
If Leanintoit doesn’t travel south to compete in Iowa, there’s still the lucra- tive stakes series in Ontario,
where she has flourished. The Don Reid trainee won three futurities last year—the Maple Leaf, Princess Stakes and Ontario Jackpot—and the $20,510 prize from this win improved the filly’s earnings to $172,165.
In this event, Leanintoit drew the outside starting position in the nine-horse field. That was definitely a good thing, considering that it kept the filly out of the trouble that ensued to
her left. Katies Award stum- bled at the start, and bumped into Special Awards to cause a chain reaction that involved at least three of the competitors. Meanwhile, jockey Brian Bell kept Leanintoit on a strong and steady pace to win by two lengths. Leanintoit covered the 400 yards in :19.930.
Marcus Smith bred the filly, foaled in Texas out of the 2000 mare First Lady Amber. Unraced, First Lady
Amber has produced four starters among eight offspring. Half of those starters hold stakes wins. In addition to Leanintoit, Streakin Down has three stakes wins including the Bob Moore Memorial earlier this year.
Go Loca (Wave Carver-Ojo Loca), who faced 15-1 odds, finished second. The filly is owned
by Christine Tavares and trained by Joe Tavares. Helen Vanek did the riding. BLR Nanny
Bee (Latest Version-BLR Be Cee Nu), a 28-1 longshot, placed third for Ivy Lane Racing. The Renee Wilson trainee had Daniel Rose aboard.
Aquafina (First Down Dash-Runaway Wave), Special Ela (Special Leader-Ocean Memories), Special Awards (Winning Awards- Special Ignition), Heated Up (Walk Thru Fire-A Victory Chick), Katies Award (Winners Award-Katies Sign) and Cassies Carver (Wave Carver-Rosas Special) completed the field.
Fort Erie $43,639 • 400 yards :19.930 • si 88
Streakin La Jolla
Tres Seis
Scoopie Fein
LEANINTOIT, ’09-f.
Dash For Cash
First Lady Amber
Lady Signature
racing news
Bank of America Fort erie Championship Challenge-G3
FeARLeS FReD
by John Moorehouse
Fearles Fred defies the notion that one slows down with age. The 5-year-old gelding scored a runaway victory in the
$100,465 Grade 3 Bank of America Fort Erie Championship Challenge on July 2 at Fort Erie. It marked Fearles Fred’s second consecu- tive victory in that race, his eighth career stakes win and improved his overall record to 14-2-3 in 27 total starts. Perhaps more significantly, it qualified Walter Harrison’s
homebred gelding to compete in the $350,000 Bank of America Championship Challenge to be held Oct. 27 at Prairie Meadows.
Fearles Fred skipped the Championship last year at Los Alamitos.
“We didn’t go to California last year because it was a little too far,” Harrison explained after the race. “But Iowa is a lot closer.”
Staying close to Fearles Fred in the Fort Erie Challenge was easier said than done. Starting
on the outside of the 11-horse field, Fearles Fred broke on top and simply obliterated the rest
of the field, drawing away to win the race by a commanding 2 1/4-length margin. Trainer Carol Rettele prepped Fearles Fred for the 440-yard trip, which he completed in :21.640.
“The horse is a pure professional and it’s an honor to ride him,” said
jockey Helen Vanek. “He does it on his own.”
Harrison also bred Precious Debutante, the dam of Fearles Fred. The 1997 mare is a multiple stakes win- ner, with those two victories the highlights of a 23-race career. Three of Precious Debutante’s offspring also have stakes wins. The others in the brood are Ida Snow Man and Mr Corona To You.
A Plain Brown Rapper (A Regal Choice- Belles A Lady) took second. The gelding is owned by Toni and J. Lloyd Yother, and trained by Greg Watson. John McInerney drew the rid- ing assignment. Call Me Fisher finished third. Ivy Lane Racing owns Call Me Fisher (Fishers Dash-Rare Peppermint), a Renee Wilson trainee who had jockey Daniel Rose aboard.
The remaining order of finish was Struttin High (Struttin To Beduino-Regally Rare), Jesswatchme (Feature Mr Jess-Watchin The Rain), One Kool Wave (Wave Carver-One Kool Bud), Ethics Aside (Mr Jess Perry- Daring Difference), Make Out Artist (Make It Anywhere-This Chicks Stylish), Kool Hand Dutch (First N Kool-Lil Bit Dutch), Carbello (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Dashin Belladona) and First Totellya (Sweet First Down-Prices Chick). Mega Fames was scratched.
Fort Erie $100,465 • 440 yards :21.640 • si 95
Mr Jess Perry
Fredricksburg
Fearless Freda
FEARLES FRED, ’07-g.
Heza Fast Man
Precious Debutante
Precious Libby
SPEEDHORSE, July 20, 2012 67
michael Burns Photo michael Burns Photo