Page 51 - New Mexico Horse Breeder Spring 2018

Dragon’s middle name. The gray mare already carried the title of champion New Mexico two year old, turning that honor into the perfect stepping stone for nailing the three year old distinction in 2017.
Running Dragon is light years away from being a racing fluke. For one thing, the word “fluke” isn’t a term in Nahum Prieto’s vocabulary.
Prieto holds the starring role in the By By JJ, LLC. The man is 83 years old but, apparently, everyone forgot to tell him. He’s still doing what he’s always done, which is the pursuit of outstanding horses; preferably ones he breeds himself.
It took $10,000 in Prieto’s hand to purchase the 1992 Quick Step Disco out of the All American Sale. The mare later won the Sale Futurity and eventually became the great- grandmother of Running Dragon. He then bred Quick Step Disco to Strait To The Bank. That produced Banking Disco in 1999, the grandmother of Running Dragon.
Contrary to the implications in her name, Banking Disco participated only marginally in the banking system. She scraped together a modest $10,000 during her time on the track, moving on to the broodmare band where she produced eight foals. The leader of the group was Banking Silence with $127,000.
Did Prieto think it was time to make changes? Was he following nothing more than a wisp of blowing wind with the mare line he’d been trying to establish for more than 30 years? No. He was still convinced the gold was there.
He decided to take Banking Disco to Devon Lane (TB). Banking Lane was the result, the fourth generation of Prieto’s efforts. His reward for his perseverance was......Another. Dud. She earned less than $1,400 but wait.....there was another layer to peel back. Banking Lane met up with Zulu Dragon and the two of them became the proud parents of Running Dragon. The filly was a hit! A very big hit! Prieto knew all along where he was going. It just took him a bit longer than anticipated to get there.
Zulu Dragon is one of New Mexico’s hottest young QH sires. His last race was January, 2013. He left the track after 29 starts, a 6(2)-5(3)-1(1) record and $181,000. The 11-year-old stallion has four registered crops with only two crops to race. His
18 performing foals account for $1,154,000 with $702,217 of that coming from Running Dragon.
“She’s an incredible sweetheart,” said Rosella, Prieto’s wife. “It’s hard to believe how consistent she is. I can honestly say that almost any race she’s lost has been because of something that was done to her.
“It’s a joy to watch her. She shows off in the saddling paddock and then dances in the post parade. People love to watch her, and she loves going out there.”
So if people love her and she loves the people, why was she retired?
According to Rosella, the mare had become too valuable to risk injury. With that in mind, the only available option was retirement.
Running Dragon isn’t the Prieto’s first brush with greatness. There was also By By JJ, a 2001 gelding
Banking Lane met up with Zulu Dragon and the two of them became
the proud parents of Running Dragon. The filly was a hit! A very big hit!
bred by Rosella. He won the 2003 All American Futurity under jockey J.J. Gonzalez. The Prietos also finished third in that race with Reagal Eagle. Surely, by now, they know their bank’s president!
Did anyone notice there’s been no mention of MJ Farms....the only horse among the QH champions where that’s happened? Well, hold on just a minute.
“We’ve talked a lot about who we want
to breed Running Dragon to,” said Rosella. “Finally, we decided to leave things up to Mac Murray out at MJ Farms. We told him we want a very, very good open horse for her. He said he would take care of it.”
The mare couldn’t be in better hands.
stallion, earner of $279,000, was by Rime by Dash For Cash. Major Rime died recently at 26.
Dyna Mo Rime was out of Dynamic Ego (TB), who was out of the hard-running 1977 TB mare Western Hand. She, in turn, was
by Master Hand (TB). The important thing
to note about Master Hand was his strong influence on the Quarter Horse industry. It was two of his offspring, a colt named Mr Master Bug and a filly named Miss Squaw Hand, who presented owner/breeder the late Marvin Barnes of Oklahoma with the only double whammy ever recorded in the All American Futurity. It happened in 1982 when Mr Master Bug finished first and Miss Squaw Hand scooted in a close second. Marvin Barnes became a rich man that day.
Carrete didn’t lead Major Bites to his barn until September of last year. He, as well as owner Bordier, were worried about the horse.
“I’d trained for the owner before,” said Carrete. “We both knew the horse wasn’t doing well. He was too thin. He stood in a corner and dug holes. He wouldn’t eat. He wasn’t a happy horse and he wasn’t a healthy horse.”
Despite his ailments, Major Bites was physically sound. There were no surgeries needed and there’s never been a joint injection. His bones were fine but there was something messed up on the inside.
“”I started working with him, getting to know him,” said Carrete. “He’s a gentle horse, almost like a pet. We needed to build up his confidence and get him to feel comfortable, physically and mentally.
“We found out he had ulcers, so we went to work on that right away. It took a while but we finally got him in shape. The ulcers were under control, he was eating and started gaining weight.”
Digging holes was a thing of the past. Major Bites was a changed horse, who was ready to return to work.
“He gives us all he has every time he goes out there,” said Carrete. The gelding won the RG1 Namehimastreaker last year and launched 2018 with a win in the 440-yard Dona Anna County Stakes. He also finished second last year in the Jimmy Drake Stakes(RG3) and the Jess Burner Memorial(RG3).
“He’s looking very good,”” said Carrete, “and we’re proud and pleased with how far he’s come.”
NM Champion QH Older Gelding/Stallion
MAJOR BITES
(Jesse James Jr-Dyna Mo Rime, Major Rime) Bred by: Carlos F. Paez
Owned by: Israel Bordier
Trained by: Jesus J. Carrete
2017: 7 2-2-2 $163,568
1st Namehimastreaker NM Classic QH Championship (RG1)
Trainer Jesus Carrete takes pride in several accomplishments, not the least of which is his 35-year marriage. Next on the list is the five- year-old gelding Major Bites.
Once again, let’s first note the sire, Jesse James Jr. There are also other names in the pedigree that instantaneously ignite a firestorm of memories for many industry folks. A starting point is Major Bites’ dam, Dyna Mo Rime. The 2000 bay mare is by Major Rime, a phenomenal New Mexico stallion that trainer Robert Driggers put on the racing map, both as a competitor and as a sire. The 1992 sorrel
SPRING 2018 49