Page 108 - NM Winter 2023

RUIDOSO DOWNS
Mountain Top TB Futurity (R)
Photos by Ruidoso Downs, Bailey Ivey
Diabolical
Artax
Bonnie Byerly
Midnight Summer
Midnight Lute
Indy Summer
COMMUNITY LEADER
Community Leader, a homebred son of Diabolical campaigned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, Texas, held on at the wire to win the June 25, 5-furlong Mountain Top Futurity (R) for New Mexico-bred 2-year-old Thoroughbreds at Ruidoso Downs.
One of eight finalists from the barn of trainer Todd Fincher and the 13-10 favorite in the nine-horse field, Community Leader defeated Sporty Pants by a head in 1:00.25. Felipe Valdez rode the chestnut gelding, who earned the $66,380 winner’s share of the $132,760 purse.
Community Leader became the 15th official black-type stakes winner from
163 starters sired by Diabolical, a Grade 2-winning Kentucky-bred son of the Marquetry stallion Artax. Racing in three countries from 2005-09, Diabolical banked $1,404,772 from 31 starts, and his five stakes wins included the 2007 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G2) at Saratoga and Maryland Breeders’ Cup Sprint Handicap (G3) at Pimlico Racecourse. He also ran second in Desert Code’s 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
From 11 crops, Diabolical has sired
the earners of more than $10.3 million, including multiple stakes winners My Boanerges, Roll On Diabolical, Fast Gator and Diabolical Dame.
Community Leader is also the first starter foaled by his dam, Midnight Summer, a winning Kentucky-bred daughter of the
Real Quiet stallion Midnight Lute who was purchased by the Robisons for $32,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The gelding’s second dam, the unplaced A.P. Indy mare Indy Summer, produced three winners and the earners of $321,303 from eight starters.
Community Leader’s third dam, the winning and stakes-placed Dynaformer mare Wife For Life, foaled Hollywood Story, a half-sister to Indy Summer who won four graded stakes in California from 2003-06, including the 2003 Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) and 2006 Vanity Invitational Handicap (G1), both at Hollywood Park. The gelding traces back to his fifth dam, Huggle Duggle, a multiple stakes winning daughter of the Nasrullah stallion Never Bend who produced Al Mundhir, a Group 3 stakes winner in Germany in 1985.
Community Leader made his career debut with a 1 1/4-length victory in the last of four Mountain Top Futurity trials on June 9. The gelding has won both of his outs, and his earnings total $71,180.
Higher Ed ran third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Community Leader. Mark The Date, Amigo Loco, Chipz, Ronchetti, Horns N Halos and
Tax Free Texas completed the order of finish. Pocket Watch was listed by the Equibase chart as a trainer scratch.
Sporty Pants banked the $26,552 runner-up share for her owner, Jana Trotter. A half-sister to last year’s New Mexico Classic Lassie Championship (R) winner Bryns Mark, the daughter of the Tiznow stallion Sporting Chance has earned $28,152 from two outs.
Higher Ed races for J. Kirk and Judy Robison, who also bred the dark bay or brown son of Sporting Chance and the homebred multiple stakes winning Southwestern Heat mare African Heat. The gelding has won one of two outs, and the $15,931 third-place share of the Mountain Top Futurity purse pushed his bankroll to $20,731.
106 New Mexico Horse Breeder