Page 56 - January 6 2012

Hialeah la nina invitational Stakes
okey Dokey DiAMonD
by Tracy Gantz
Christmas came early for the connections of Okey Dokey Diamond. On Christmas Eve at Hialeah Park, Okey Dokey Diamond
sparkled against eight rivals to capture the La Nina Invitational Stakes.
Okey Dokey Diamond popped out of post position four and immediately vied with La Candy Woman for the lead. Goodnews City tried to sneak through on the rail to chal- lenge, but never mustered
the needed rally. Okey Dokey Diamond, under the handling of jockey Victor Olivo, put away La Candy Woman and then held
off a fast-closing Arbeka Raincloud to win in :19.791. Drinkin The Gold, the 7-5 favorite, made a run from the outside, but could only finish fifth.
Victor Gonzalez trains Okey Dokey Diamond for
owner Rito Fernandez Moreno. After three losses in Indiana, Okey Dokey Diamond won her trial for the Jim Barney All American Congress Futurity at Beulah Park in Ohio. She finished second in that final before head- ing to Florida.
In her Hialeah debut, Okey Dokey Diamond ran fourth in her trial for the Hialeah Lassie Futurity, and though she didn’t
qualify for the final, she became a stakes winner in the La Nina.
Bred by Joe Kirk Fulton in Texas, Okey Dokey Diamond sold for $5,000 to Douglas Partain at the 2010 Heritage Place Yearling Sale. The placed mare Diamond Of Deception produced Okey Dokey Diamond, her first foal. Diamond Of Deception is a half-sister to stakes win- ners Dr Proctor and Point Of
Deception. Okey Dokey Diamond’s third dam is Grade 1 stakes winner Daring Difference, a half-sister to sire Mr Eye Opener.
Jeremy Garcia piloted Arbeka Raincloud (Voghts Gold-Arbeka Bee Quick) to second for owner Arthur Devereaux and trainer Larry Devereaux. Violet Hills (Ocean Runaway- Ooodles Of Cash) finished third for jockey Oscar Hermandez, owners Denis and Julie Schoenhofer, and trainer Luis Villafranco.
Rounding out the field were Goodnews City (City Place-TB-Goodnews Montana), Drinkin The Gold (Gold Medal Jess-Drinkin N Sinnin), La Candy Woman (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Eyema Royal Candy), Luxurious Attire (Stoli-Luxurious La Jolla), La Dona Cartel
(Mr Jess Perry-Coronita Cartel), and Heavanly Tears (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Fontana Beaujolais). Chalone was scratched.
Hialeah Park $20,000 • 400 yards :19.791 • si 87
First Down Dash
Okey Dokey Dale
Okeydokey Baby
OKEY DOKEY DIAMOND, f.
Streakin La Jolla
Diamond Of Deception
Daring Deception
Racing news
Hialeah el nino invitational Stakes
CountRy Boy Deluxe
by Tracy Gantz
Almost as if he were irritated at not making the finals of the Hialeah Laddie Futurity, Country Boy Deluxe bounced out of the gate in the Dec. 24 Hialeah El Nino Invitational Stakes and would not be denied. He kept
his Hialeah record perfect at two wins in
two starts, and his 400-yard time of :19.516 equaled that of TF First Pick, who won the Laddie two days later.
Country Boy Deluxe captured his Laddie trial
on Dec. 11, but his time
of :19.863 was not swift enough for the final. Instead, he wheeled back in the El Nino, and under jockey Aron Hunt, he won the stakes by a half-length.
Ron Raper trains Country Boy Deluxe in Florida for Dan Lucas’ Lucas Racing Inc., which owns and bred the gelding. Though
54 SPEEDHORSE, January 6, 2012
foaled in Florida, Country Boy Deluxe spent the early part of his two-year-old season at Los Alamitos in California, his best effort there a fourth in the Markel Stakes.
Corona Deluxe, the dam of Country Boy Deluxe, earned $168,136 on the track and placed in the 2006 Kindergarten Futurity-G1, 2008 Canterbury Park Express Stakes-G3, and 2008 Skip Zimmerman Memorial Stakes-G3.
Country Boy Deluxe is the mare’s first foal. The second dam, First Down N Surfin, finished third in the 2000 All American Futurity-G1. First Down N Surfin is a half-sister to 2005 Broodmare of the Year Runaway Wave, who produced World Champion Wave Carver and Champion Ocean Runaway.
Sheila Dorgan’s home- bred SRD Bobwirebob (Coronas Prospect-
Shouldabeenjoebob-TB) finished second for jockey Oscar Delgado and trainer Henry Smith. The gelding broke his maiden at Will Rogers Downs, and in his eight starts he has finished worse than fourth only once.
Bogie Man (Country Chicks Man- Calabogie) ran third. Gary Boag rode the geld- ing for trainer Donnie Strickland. Randolph and Shelby Myers own Bogie Man, who finished second in the Nov. 5 Kansas Jackpot Futurity-G3 at Will Rogers.
Rounding out the field were Eyema Little Ten (Ten Streaks-Eyes A Glitter Bug), Sey Me Nemo (Finding Nemo-Seychelle), Hez Tricky Too (Okey Dokey Dale-Eyes Tricky Too), Pescado Fuerte (Fishers Dash-Tuff Chicklet), and Zoomin Darlin (Shazoom-Double Bug Darlin). Smarty James and Uno Dos Tres B were scratched.
Hialeah Park $20,000 • 400 yards :19.516 • si 94
Chicks Beduino
Country Chicks Man
Country Zevi
COUNTRY BOY DELUXE, g.
Corona Cartel
Corona Deluxe
First Down N Surfin
Coady Photography Coady Photography