Page 136 - November 2020

RACING NEWS
LQHBA Sale Futurity-RG1
A DOUBLE CORONA
Evangeline Downs
$475,851 • 350 yards :17.196 • si 105 • Ntr
Open Me A Corona
si 105
Bred by: Natalie Montgomery DVM Raced to 6 • $929,150 21-16(13)-1-1(1)
65 f., 1 SW • $293,397
Coronas Leaving You si 103 Bred by: Andria Armer Raced to 3 • $278,358 13-9(2)-1(1)-0
613 f., 23 SW • $11,806,549
Bred by: Bobby Barnett
Raced to 2 $225,733 4-2(1)-2-0
In The Open
Bred by: Lucas Racing Inc Raced to 2 • $600 2-0-0-0
21 f., 5 SW • $2,256,543
Corona Dashin Bye
si 106
Bred by: Charlie Bordelon Raced to 4 • $89,550 13-3-6(1)-0
4 f., 1 SW • $245,333
Dashin Bye si 108
Bred by: Larry Sharp/ Vessels Stallion Farm Raced to 4 • $305,250 19-9(3)-2(1)-4(2)
761 f., 24 SW • $13,625,621
Corona Cerveza si 94
Bred by: Bob & Jerry Gaston Raced to 5 • $38,611 16-5-3(1)-1(1)
18 f., 1 SW • $497,513
by Richard Chamberlain
It’s not often that a two year old going off as a double-digit longshot sets a New Track Record in a graded futurity with a six-figure
purse. But not often came in the $475,851 LQHBA Sale Futurity-RG1 at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, Louisiana.
“A two year old, a track record – that’s pretty hard to do,” mused Tommy Hays, DVM, who with breeder Bobby J. Barnett co-owns the gelding that did it. “You don’t see that very often.”
With Eddie Sanchez in the irons for
his brother, trainer Jose Luis Sanchez III,
A Double Corona was sent to post at 16-1 odds. The gelding broke sharply and rolled to a 1 1/2-length score. Cruising under little more than a handride to a :17.196 clocking over 350 yards, the sorrel gelding by Open Me A Corona earned $214,133 and a 105 speed index, while breaking the :17.235 mark set in 2014 by the 4 year old Dashin Brown Streak.
The LQHBA Sale Futurity was the 13th of 15 races on Oct. 22, with four stakes on the undercard. The LQHBA Sale Futurity originally was scheduled for Oct. 8 but was postponed due to Hurricane Delta. The gelding broke his maiden on his third start, in the Oct. 1 trials to the LQHBA Sale Futurity, and now has won two of four life- time starts, for earnings of $225,733.
A Double Corona is one of two win- ners from three starters out of stakes-placed Corona Dashin Bye, who in 2012 earned a 106 speed index while setting a 300-yard New Track Record at Evangeline Downs.
Barnett and Hays bought A Double Corona back for $50,000 at the LQHBA Yearling Sale. Barnett and his sister, Carol Birdwell, won the 2006 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity-RG1 with Dynamax, and he and Hays have partnered on horses, often with others, from claimers to stakes winners such as Firecracker Futurity-G2 winner Big Dashing Perry and graded stakes winner Runaway Wagon. Barnett and Hays now share ownership of A Double Corona’s yearling full brother.
“We’ve had some nice horses,” Hays said. “Every year we’ve seemed to have something that could run a little bit, some claimers, some day horses, some nice stakes winners. Bobby was always around Open Me A Corona when he was running and saw how good he was. He’s had a lot of faith in the horse and bred
A Double Corona and jockey Eddie Sanchez win the $475,851 LQHBA Sale Futurity-RG1 by 1 1/2-length.
134 SPEEDHORSE November 2020
Coady Photography
A Double Corona. ‘18-g.