Page 119 - NM Winter 2023

RUIDOSO DOWNS
Rio Grande Senor 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 the Artax stallion Diabolical racing for J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, Texas, kept his perfect record intact with his 3 1/4-length victory in the August 6, $118,039 Rio Grande Senor Futurity (R) for New Mexico-bred 2-year-old Thoroughbred colts and geldings at Ruidoso Downs.
Prepped by Todd Fincher, Community Leader covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:06.96. Felipe Valdez rode the chestnut gelding, who banked the $59,020 winner’s share of the purse from his second career stakes score.
Community Leader is one of 15 official black-type stakes winners 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 was coming off of a clear 6 3/4-length victory in the first of two Rio Grande Senor Futurity trials on July 21. Raced exclusively at Ruidoso Downs, Community Leader has won all four of his starts -- including the 5 1/2-furlong, $132,760 Mountain Top Futurity (R) on June 25 -- and he has banked $135,000.
Community Leader was sent to post as the 3-5 favorite in the field of seven and returned a $3.20 win mutuel. Higher Ed, the 2-1 second choice, finished second to complete a $6.40 ($2) exacta payoff.
Aaron Who ran third, 9 3/4 lengths behind Community Leader, and was followed by J M Big Boy, Latigo Ellis, Ronchetti and Shame On Whiskey. Three finalists -- Kid Custer, Private
Equity and Sports Idol -- were listed by the Equibase chart as trainer scratches.
Higher Ed is a homebred son of the Tiznow stallion Sporting Chance and the multiple stakes winning Southwestern Heat mare African Heat owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison. The gelding has won two of four starts, and the $23,608 runner-up share of the Senor Futurity purse increased his earnings to $49,139. Higher Ed’s record includes a third-place finish, 1 1/4 lengths behind winner Community Leader, in the Mountain Top Futurity.
A homebred son of the Indian Charlie stallion Comfort, Aaron Who races for Sam
E. Stevens and Sammy L. Stevens of Lamesa, Texas, and he was coming off of a second-place finish to Community Leader in the first Senor Futurity trial. The bay gelding has banked $16,165 from three outs.
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