Page 68 - 28 December 2012

Southwest Juvenile Championship Stakes-G1
SeCret CourAGe
by Michael Compton
It’s a safe bet that when Secret Courage resurfaces next that jockey Jaime Leos will be aboard the two-time winner. In five lifetime
starts, the promising juvenile has twice been piloted by Leos, both times resulting in victo- ries, including the most recent in the $240,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship Stakes-G1 on Nov. 25 at Zia Park.
Sent off as a 22-1 outsider in the Southwest Juvenile Championship Stakes, Secret Courage, with only a maiden win to his credit, mustered enough determination to run down and defeat 2-1 race favorite A Dream To Remember, win- ner of the Hobbs America Futurity-G2 , by a neck in the 440-yard Grade 1 event.
Away cleanly at the start, Secret Courage pur- sued A Dream To Remember through the early stages. Despite drifting out some in the stretch under Leos’ urging, Secret Courage hit his best stride late and collared A Dream to Remember late to post the upset. He stopped the timer in :21.664 and earned a speed index of 89. As the runners galloped out around the turn following the race, A Dream To Remember (Corona Cartel- Hallowed Dreams-TB), owned by R.D. Hubbard, Johnny Cope and Henry Southway, fell, throwing jockey G.R. Carter to the ground, and had to be vanned off the track for trainer Paul Jones.
Bred in Texas by Burnett Ranches LLC, Secret Courage races in the colors of Francisco Acevedo and is trained by Ramon Ronquillo.
After two subpar efforts in futurity trials at Ruidoso Downs while in another barn, Secret Courage broke his maiden in his first start for Ronquillo at Zia Park on Oct. 8.
“He came to me one month
before he broke his maiden,” said Ronquillo, who conditions four horses for Acevedo. “As soon as I started working him, I knew he was fast. I told the owner ‘I know this horse can run. He could be a good one.’”
Secret Courage, who may return for the Sunland Park Winter Futurity Trials Dec. 7, lived up to Ronquillo’s expectations in the Southwest Juvenile.
“I felt a little lucky to get into the race,” Ronquillo said, given that the Southwest Juvenile Championship had invitational condi- tions. “We hadn’t won a big race or gotten an invitation. When the (racing) secretary left the race open, I thought I would enter because he was a good horse. I told the owner ‘we’ll give it a shot.’ He said go ahead and enter, and right now he is real, real happy.”
As for the riding assignment in Secret Courage’s next race, Ronquillo shouldn’t have to look too far.
“Jaime rides the horse perfectly,” said Ronquillo. “He rode him when he broke his maiden and I knew to give him the call back.
They are a good match. Jaime rides about half of my runners here.”
Secret Courage is produced from the win- ning Special Leader mare Secretively. Bred by Joe
Fulton of Lubbock, TX, Secretively, a winner in her racing career, has more than proved her worth as a broodmare. She has dropped eight winners, two of them stakes winners. In addition to Secret Courage, she is the dam of stakes winner Secret Battleground, winner of the 2010 Sandy Downs Derby Challenge-G3 at Sandy Downs.
Checking in behind the winner and runner- up was Sassmaster, winner of the $487,700 Sam Houston Futurity-G2 at Sam Houston Park in April. Ridden by Francisco Ramirez, Sassmaster (TR Dasher-Catch Me Now) rode a two-race win streak into the Southwest Juvenile Championship for owner Macedonio Lozano and trainer Shae Cox, having won consecutive outings at Lone Star Park prior to making his Zia Park debut.
Rockin Disco (Rock Solid Jess-Check This Disco), Whiteface Eagle (One Famous Eagle- Sing and Pray), Hurri Cartel (Teller Cartel-A Classic Serenade), Thequeenhasgonenuts (Hadtobenuts-Queen of the Castle) and Dashin Ace (Dash Ta Fame-Ace Crystal Charm), win- ner of the New Mexico Classic Futurity-G2 in his last start, completed the order of finish.
Zia Park $240,000 • 440 yards :21.664 • si 89
Mr Jess Perry
Captain Courage
Corona Chick
SECRET COURAGE, ’10-g.
Special Leader
Secretively
Easy Secret
Secret Courage (#5) and Jaime Leos win the $240,000 Grade 1 Southwest Juvenile Championship at Zia Park.
66 SPEEDHORSE, December 28, 2012
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