Page 120 - December 2020

RACING NEWS
Tell Cartel and jockey Eduardo Nicasio in the post parade.
drew away to score by a 1/2-length over early leader Mental Error.
Eduardo Nicasio rode Tell Cartel for the first time for trainer Matthew Fales, whose parents, Ralph and Carolyn Fales, run Fales Ranch in Coolidge, Arizona.
Ruben Lozano, Tell Cartel’s regular jockey, had piloted Tell Cartel in the tri- als, but elected to ride John Carter Cash in the final. Valentin Zamudio trains John Carter Cash, as well as Governor’s Cup Futurity-RG1 winner Constituent, who Lozano also now rides.
“I love Ruben to death,” said Wells. “He called me up apologizing, but I understood because he has that good two-year-old to
ride for Zamudio. This reminded me of the Seabiscuit story when George Woolf got to ride Seabiscuit. To me Nicasio is George Woolf.”
Nicasio was winning his third Los Alamitos Super Derby and has won the Champions of Champions three times.
“I didn’t have a qualifier in the race,” Nicasio stated. “So I was waiting for Matt to call me with Ruben Lozano’s decision. Matt called me and said, ‘You’re on the horse.’ I was thrilled.”
Nicasio said that Tell Cartel overcame the start to finish perfectly.
“Mental Error had us early on,” the jockey said. “That horse ran a great race, but my horse was coming strong with each stride and I knew that we were going to catch the leader.”
Tell Cartel has now won eight of 18 starts, with four seconds and one third, for total earn- ings of $700,386. At two last year, he finished second in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity-G2 and third in the Pat Hyland Memorial
Tell Cartel’s winning connections include breeder/owner Martha F. Wells, trainer Matthew Fales and jockey Eduardo Nicasio.
118 SPEEDHORSE December 2020
William Zuazo, Speedhorse
William Zuazo, Speedhorse