Page 39 - NMHBA Spring 2021

SPRING 2021 37
On January 15, Bob and Sissie McClure’s Apollitical Papa broke the 250-yard track record with his half-length victory in the first division of the $12,500 Wayne Brasher Memorial Stakes. Trained by Fred Danley
Also at Turf Paradise, NJ Farms LLC’s Kellys First Moon scored the richest win of her career in the $33,725 Turf Paradise Maiden Stakes on January 26
Three other New Mexico-based trainers
-- Dick “Flaco” Cappelucci, Bart Hone, and Rafael Barraza -- are in the top 10 of the Turf Paradise trainer standings. Ranked third, Cappelucci has won at a 21-percent rate with 14 of his 68 starters, while Hone and Barraza rank in a tie for sixth with seven wins each.
Other New Mexico-based trainers with at least one win at Turf Paradise include Bennie L. “Chip” Woolley, Casey Lambert, Dan Dennison, Greg Green, Gary Cross, Dayson LaVanway, Anthony Blea III, Fred Danley, Danny Morales, Simon Buechler, Jose R. Gonzalez Jr. and Nancy Summers.
New Mexico-based Quarter Horses have also shined at Turf Paradise. On January 15, Bob and Sissie McClure’s Apollitical Papa broke the 250-yard track record with his half-length victory in the first division of the $12,500 Wayne Brasher Memorial Stakes. Ridden by Duane Sterling for trainer Fred Danley, Apollitical Papa stopped the timer in :13.072 while posting a 110 speed index.
The second division of the Wayne Brasher Memorial was won by HS Paul Walker, a registered New Mexico-bred 5-year-old Osbaldo gelding owned and trained by Ivan Tafoya. HS Paul Walker posted a 103 speed index while making his 250-yard trip in :13.253.
Also at Turf Paradise, NJ Farms LLC’s Kellys First Moon scored the richest win
of her career in the $33,725 Turf Paradise Maiden Stakes on January 26. A $20,000 yearling purchase from breeder Mike Abraham at the 2019 New Mexico-Bred Sale at Ruidoso Downs, the brown daughter of Champion First Moonflash went 300 yards in :15.646 while pushing her earnings to $23,841 from six starts. Adrian Ramos rode Kellys First Moon for trainer Eric Valenzuela.
Count Them Again, a daughter of Premeditation owned by Lola L. Cuellar and Alexandria M. Cuellar and a four-time stakes winner in New Mexico, made her 4-year-
old season debut with a third-place finish,
4 1/2 lengths behind winner Harking, in
the 6-furlong $29,250 Jack and Jeff Coady Stakes for fillies and mares at Turf Paradise on January 5. Frank Reyes rode the registered New Mexico-bred filly for trainer Esteban Martinez.
The 84-day Turf Paradise meet runs through May 1.
Farther out west, Cat Daddys Lil Girl made her first start in California in the $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G1) for distaffers at Los Alamitos on January 3. Trained by Jaime Gomez and ridden by Oscar Peinado for owners Jimmy Negrete and Jimmy Vasquez, the registered New
Mexico-bred 5-year-old daughter of Big Daddy Cartel and 2014 Zia Futurity (G1) winner Girlonthego finished second, a half of a length behind winner Kiss Thru Fire, while covering 400 yards in :19.699.
On February 18, the New Mexico Racing Commission officially canceled the 2020-21 Sunland Park Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet, which was scheduled to run
42 days from December 26-March 30. The next scheduled race meet in New Mexico
is SunRay Park near Farmington, which
is slated to conduct a 17-date season from April 23-May 24. At press time, it hadn’t been decided whether the SunRay Park race meet would take place.
Justin Evans tops the Thoroughbred trainer standings at Turf Paradise in Arizona. Through February 22, Evans has won at a 33-percent clip with 32 of his 96 starters, and his runners have banked $389,777 in purse money.
By Coady Photograhy
By Coady Photograhy