Page 65 - 28 December 2012

Charal Kid and the highly-regarded filly Flame N Flash, among others.
“Rylees Boy is kind of old class (at age 7) and those guys are the new young studs,” Jones said
of the competition. “I didn’t know if the old man could jump up and beat them, but he sure did it. I’m just so proud of him. This was a helluva group of young horses. He beat a good group of horses.”
“Rylees Boy has always responded no matter where we take him or where we send him,” said Lorena Velazquez Rodriguez through an inter- preter. “We felt pretty good that he was going to do well in this race.”
It was win number 21 for Rylees Boy, who has won nine stakes races, set two track records and earned $1,321,166. (Those statistics still include his Remington Park Invitational Championship win, as the ruling is currently under appeal by Ochoa-Pena.) It made Rylees Boy the oldest horse to ever win the Champion of Champions, and gave Jones his sixth win in the venerable race.
“The Champion of Champions has always been my favorite race, ever since I was a little kid. It’s the best of the best. It’s not somebody who
got lucky and qualified in trials when the wind changed or the rain came,” Jones related. “You gather up the best of the older horses that have already made a ton of money. These are the stars here, gathered up in one race. That’s why it’s always been my favorite race. As a kid, I dreamed of just having a horse in the race. I never thought I’d win it. I still can’t believe I’ve won it six times.”
“This was something that we always dreamed of. This was where we wanted him to end up. So for him to do this, I can’t say much
Rylees Boy (#10) and Ramon Sanchez won the $750,000 Grade 1 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos.
more. It just shows the heart that he has,” added Velazquez Rodriguez. “It’s a dream come true.”
At odds of 10-1, Rylees Boy topped a trifecta of longshots rounded out by 26-1 Flame N Flash and 22-1 Senor Toby. Elena Andrade saddled Flame N Flash (Walk
Thru Fire-Oh La Proud) for owner Robert Williams. Francisco Rubio rode the 3-year-old filly, who had previously won the La Primera Del Ano Derby-G2 and the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1 against older mares. Jaime Gomez conditions Senor Toby (Mighty Invictus-Micheles Alibi) for owners Brad Lohr and Daniel Reynoso. Rodrigo Aceves rode
the 4-year-old gelding who has never finished lower than third in 15 career starts.
Favored Cold Cash 123 broke with his usual tardiness and lacked running room, nearly clipping heels with Senor Toby at one point and finishing eighth.
Hez Our Secret (First Down Dash-Secret Separation) was fourth, followed by Deniro (Desirio-Priscilla Ione), El Aguila Real (Corona Czech-I Am All That), Jess You And I (Feature Mr Jess-Gold Daze), Cold Cash 123 (Oak Tree Special-Hot Cash 123), Charal Kid (Streakin La Jolla-The Special Feature), and Chivalry SR (Walk Thru Fire-Artesias Beduino).
Owner Lorena Velazquez Rodriguez with Ramon Sanchez’s wife Trainer Paul Jones followes Rylees Boy and jockey Ramon Sanchez into the winner’s circle. Laura and son Ramon Jr.
SPEEDHORSE, December 28, 2012 63
racing news
Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse
Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse
Stacy Pigott/Speedhorse