Page 161 - December 2020

Garañones Futurity-RG3
ESPEJO FUSILERO
by Luis Prieto Zamudio, translation by Speedhorse
The qualifying stage for this futurity took place Oct. 17 and 18. There were 20 tri- als, of which the 10 finalists, and as many others who won the right to compete in the consolation, were chosen from of a total of 173 two year olds. All of them were presented at the 2019 Select Yearling Auction and
their owners paid the respective participa- tion fees, coming together for a total purse
of $4,797,250 pesos (approx. $230,128), of which $3,445,575 pesos (approx. $165,287) went to reward the futurity owners while the rest went to reward the consolation race and as stallion awards to the owners of the sires of the finalists.
Remarkable were the three finalists of Rancho El Suspiro, as well as three others of Cuadra Cartas Blanca, in such a way that it was a final between six horses from these facilities. Outstanding coming into this event was the performance of the gelding Feuture Horse, who won his trial in :14.80 for a track record, beating the :14.83 imposed by Lafishingonabugsmoon on June 16, 2019.
Both the race and the start for each runner were cleanly done without bumps or interfer- ence. Espejo Fusilero broke with strength and opportunity; the chart reports
that he was the first to break
out of the starting gates by a
small margin. However, he
encountered pressure from
Apollo Fly Chantel and from
Juanito Y Danny. His effort
paid off as he managed to
overcome the 300 yards in a
short :14.82 (SI 104), leading
with the two aforementioned
in close arrival, under the
command of Mario Alberto
López Marmolejo, who mas-
terfully took advantage of the
space left him through the center of the track to use the full potential of his mount and lead him to triumph. The :14.82 is a new record time for this classic.
“Being the first time I would ride the colt, I informed myself about his character and
previous performance; I analyzed the video of his trial and chatted with his trainer, who gave me valuable directions. At the gates, he was
very serious and was the first to break. They left me space and I encouraged him more with my voice than with the bat, especially when I felt the very close threat of Apollo
Fly Chantell and Juanito Y Danny,” commented Mario Alberto López, who still can’t describe the thrill of having won such an important race, as it is the realization of a dream that he had two days before. “Of course I’d like to
repeat it at the next Select Auction Futurity,” the native jockey from
Tetelpa, Morelos State, finished.
The award was carried out with the presence
of the indispensable staff in the winner’s circle, among them Javier Rosique León, President of the Mexican Association of Horse Breeders and
RACING NEWS
Hipodromo de las Americas
$165,287 • 300 yards :14.82 • si 104
Corona Cartel
Carnegie Haul
A Shot At Glory
ESPEJO FUSILERO, ‘18-c.
Feature Mr Jess
Jess Blushing
Blushing Lady Bug
Espejo Fusilero (#2A) stretches to the finish line and withstands the efforts of Apollo Fly Chantell and Juanito Y Danny.
SPEEDHORSE December 2020 159