Page 163 - December 2021

favorite. He was the fourth choice at 4-1, behind favored Flash Bak, Candy Blood (owned by Dunn Ranch and Rick Sumner), and Powerful Favorite.
In 2020, Apollitical Pence won from post 6, and Arrossa admitted to being superstitious. Instead of post positions being assigned by a random draw, a horse’s connections can select their post once their horse’s name has been drawn, also randomly.
“So when I had the chance,” Arrossa said, “I called Matt before and told him, ‘If I can take the six with Pence, I’m taking the six.’”
Really First Down drew first, and Arrossa chose the outside post for him. Apollitical Pence drew the fifth selection, and post six was still there. So Arrossa grabbed it.
After a scratch, Apollitical Pence was moved to the five-gate, but it proved very lucky indeed. Apollitical Pence came out of post 5 about as professionally as any horse could for jockey Armando Cervantes. He stormed to the front and vanquished his rivals easily, winning by 3/4-length in wire-to-wire style. Apollitical Pence’s time for the 440 yards was :21.352, better than his 2020 time of :21.442. Apollitical Jess’ track record is :20.939, set when he won the Champion of Champions in 2010.
“I can’t be more proud of Pence,” said Matt Dunn. “He’s opened so many doors for me. This is one horse that I would never sell. That’s what he means to our family. He’s going to live with us forever.”
Apollitical Pence joins SLM Big Daddy, Refrigerator, and Dash For Cash as the only horses to win the Champion of Champions back-to-back. He raised his total earnings to $1,448,451. Apollitical Pence has now won six stakes, including two editions of the Mighty Deck Three Stakes-RG2. He earned his berth into the Champion of Champions by winning a division of the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Handicap.
The Dunns bred Apollitical Pence in Oklahoma with the late Mike Womack’s Womack Cavender Farms. Matt and Bendi bought Send City, the dam of Apollitical
Pence, as a broodmare prospect. Womack had
a breeding to Apollitical Jess and asked the Dunns if they wanted to partner on the horse. He died just before Apollitical Pence won the 2019 Heritage Place Derby-G3. It was because Womack had once had his photo taken with former Vice President Mike Pence that led to the name.
Unraced Send City has produced two winners from three starters. The second dam, 1996 Remington Futurity-G1 winner Send Me The Candy, has been a prolific producer. Her foals include Grade 1 winner Send Me A Candy Tree and the dam of Champion Jess Good Candy.
Oscar Peinado rode Flash Bak (Moonin The Eagle-Checknbac) to second for trainer Jaime
Gomez and owner Dutch Masters III. Flash Bak won the 2021 Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1 and Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1.
Third-placed Really First Down (First Down Dash-Really A Corona) not only races for the Dunns and is trained by Arrossa, Matt Dunn bred him. Ramon Sanchez piloted the 2017 gelding. Really First
Down ran second in the 2020 Oklahoma Horsemen’s Association Mystery Derby and a division of the 2021 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Handicap.
Completing the field were Candy Blood (Apollitical Blood-Ranch Candy), Powerful Favorite (Favorite Cartel-Remember Me Rose), Circle City (Favorite Cartel-Moonlight Corona), You Can Run (Favorite Cartel-You Can Fly), Cat Daddys Lil Girl (Big Daddy Cartel-Girlonthego), and Reason To Fly MV (Good Reason SA-Take A Look). Nomadic was scratched.
RACING NEWS
Apollitical Pence is joined in the winner’s circle by his winning connections.
Owner Matt Dun, jockey Armando Cervantes and trainer Monty Arrossa accept the check for $300,000.
SPEEDHORSE December 2021 161
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