Page 50 - January 6 2012

A Ransom Handicap
SEnoR toBy
by Tracy Gantz
After Senor Toby lost his only two starts
at age two in 2010, owner-breeder Brad Lohr gelded him to make him into a riding horse. But a friend, Daniel Reynoso, sug- gested that they try racing him once more.
It was sound advice, since Senor Toby went undefeated in six starts at Los Alamitos during 2011, culminating with a victory in the Dec. 16 A Ransom Handicap.
Senor Toby bobbled leav- ing the gate in the 350-yard A Ransom, brushing with Hot Hitter. Gathering his momentum, Senor Toby lev- eled into a good stride. Once jockey Oscar Peinado started asking him right-handed, the gelding kicked it into another gear, took flight, and won by 1 1/4 lengths in :16.654.
Lohr named Senor Toby for his father, who died a couple of years ago. Brad
Lohr and Reynoso now campaign Senor
Toby together, and Jaime Gomez trains him. After breaking his maiden and adding an allowance race, Senor Toby started picking off stakes—the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap, a division of the John Deere Stakes, and a division of the Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Stakes. His six-for-six record in one year is the best undefeated skein at Los Alamitos since
Distance Champion Sign Of Lanty in 2000.
Micheles Alibi, the dam
of Senor Toby, won seven
of 25 starts for earnings of $37,194. All five of her start- ers have won, including Fire Is On, winner of the Katella Handicap-G3 and the Griffin in 2010. Micheles Alibi is a half-sister to stakes-placed Move Me First.
Significant Cartel (Corona Cartel-Dash Master Miss)
finished second with Francisco Rubio in the irons. Juan Aleman trains him for Vinewood Farms. Significant Cartel has won three races and ran third in the 2011 Golden State Derby-G1.
Rodrigo Aceves piloted Hot Hitter (Walk Thru Fire-Chickasis) to third for owner Arnold Gonzalez and trainer Felipe Quintero. Hot Hitter’s stakes victories include the 2010 Governor’s Cup Futurity-RG2 and 2011 Governor’s Cup Derby-RG1 at Los Alamitos.
Completing the field were Parsons Rock (First Down Dash-Mini Rock), Filthy Fast (Splash Bac-Corona Kool), Blazin Son (First Down Dash-Blazin Fire), AJS Kissntell (A Regal Choice-Annas Kiss), Girlie Man (Snowbound- TB-Dash For Kate), A Plain Brown Rapper
(A Regal Choice-Belles A Lady), and El Kadu (Fishers Dash-Royal Snow Jet).
Los Alamitos $25,000 • 350 yards :17.654 • si 85
Mr Jess Perry
Mighty Invictus
Mighty B Doll
SENOR TOBY, g.
Sir Alibi
Micheles Alibi
Miss Hayward
Racing news
First Down Dash Handicap
JuS lEDoux it & BuyinG SnoW
by Tracy Gantz
As the horses crossed the wire in the Dec. 17 First Down Dash Handicap, Los Alamitos track announcer Ed Burgart said, “Here comes Buying Snow and Just Ledoux It—hard to separate them.” The veteran announcer got it exactly right because the race ended in a dead-heat for first.
Jus Ledoux It bounded away on top, while Buying Snow came from a bit out of it in the 400-yard First Down Dash. Both strategies paid
off. Rodrigo Aceves kept Just Ledoux It on the lead throughout the race, while Carlos Huerta urged Buying Snow forward in the final yards to get his mount home at the same moment.
Jus Ledoux It was winning his first stakes, though he finished second in the July 30 California Breeders’ Sprint Stakes. Felipe Quintero trains the gelding for Vessels Stallion Farm LLC and Bustardos Horse Racing. Deborah Horrocks and Robert Cunningham
bred Jus Ledoux It from Sometimes You Win, a graded stakes finalist and a half-sister to champions Dash Thru Traffic and Meter Me Gone. Sometimes You Win has produced two win- ners from three starters.
Buying Snow won the July 30 Jens List Jr. Memorial Stakes for trainer Dennis Givens and regular rider Huerta. Roberto Lopez owns the gelding, who was bred in California by Dr. Ed Allred.
Buying Snow’s dam, Aquisitive, won two races, and Buying Snow is her first winner from two
to start. Buying Snow on the bottom side of his pedigree traces to First Down Dash as well as champion Denim N Diamonds, his fourth dam.
A Streakinson (Hawkinson-Streakit Special), owned by Dr. Steve Burns, John Andreini and Danny Cardoza, finished third. Rounding out the field were Go Straight (TR Dasher-Crooksy), Shining First Dash (First Down Dash-Keep On Shining), Making Fire (Walk Thru Fire-Making Up), and Simons Wonder Choice (A Regal Choice-Simons Wonder Girl).
First Down Dash
A Regal Choice
Harems Choice
JUS LEDOUX IT, g.
Jazzing Hi
Sometimes You Win
Meadowlake
Snowbound-TB
Gray Tab
BUYING SNOW, g.
Separatist
Aquisitive
Los Alamitos $35,000 • 400 yards :19.942 • si 82
Lady Meter Reader
A Classic Diamond
48 SPEEDHORSE, January 6, 2012
los Alamitos los Alamitos