Page 60 - 17 August 2012

Spencer L. Childers Calif. Breeders Championship-rG1
TWeLve STePPer
by Tracy Gantz
Though Twelve Stepper has done his share of traveling, he performs his best at Los Alamitos. Racing exclusively at the Southern California track this year, Twelve Stepper has posted five wins and two seconds in seven starts, most recently scoring in the July 28 Spencer L. Childers California Breeders Championship-RG1.
The Childers was particularly impressive because Twelve Stepper
broke slowly and bumped
slightly with Walkin Bac to
his outside. Under jockey Gregorio Arriaga, Twelve Stepper rallied to get back into contention quickly. He and favored Creston Goer battled to the wire together, with Twelve Stepper edging away to win by a nose in :19.687 for the 400 yards.
Twelve Stepper began his career at Los Alamitos,
California Breeders Matron Stakes-rG3
Los Alamitos $100,000 • 400 yards :19.687 • si 87
First Down Dash
Walk Thru Fire
Sweet Beduino
TWELVE STEPPER, ’08-g.
Raise A Secret
Twelfth Secret
Easily A Twelve
racing in the colors of his breeder, Dr. Ed Allred. Juan Humberto Moya subsequently bought Twelve Stepper privately. The gelding won two races, both at Los Alamitos, out
of seven starts at 3 in 2011 while also ship- ping to Pleasanton in Northern California, Sweetwater Downs in Wyoming (where he ran second in the Sweetwater Downs Derby), and Turf Paradise in Arizona. This year at 4,
Creston Goer (TR Dasher-Secret Goer) finished second under Cruz Mendez, the same partnership that won the April 22 Kaweah Bar Handicap-G3. Jose Moreno trains the 4-year- old gelding for Salvador Veliz.
Shining First Dash (First Down Dash- Keep On Shining), owned and bred by Muller Racing LLC, ran third for jockey Alex Bautista and trainer Dennis Ekins. The 5-year-old horse, stakes-placed at two and four, was mak- ing his first start of the year in the Childers.
De Moss (Separatist-Classic Sassy Chic), finished fourth, followed by Precisionist
RM (Separatist-Six On The Beach), Frosty Younger (Separatist-Perfect Mom), Walkin Bac (Walk Thru Fire-Running Bac), Buying Snow (Snowbound-TB-Aqusitive), Flaming Out (Walk Thru Fire-Jetsetting Girl), and Hot Hitter (Walk Thru Fire-Chickasis).
he has moved steadily up the claiming ranks, and in his first start for trainer Arnoldo Pulido, finished second in the Independence Day Handicap.
Allred bred Twelve Stepper from Twelfth Secret, who fin- ished second in the 1993 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity-G1. The mare, a daughter of stakes winner Easily A Twelve, has 13 winners from 18 starters, including multiple stakes winner Materialist.
eNjoY THe WALK
by Tracy Gantz
As a reproductive veterinarian who special- izes in embryo transfers, Dr. Steve Burns is in the perfect position to pull an embryo from his racemares and return them to train- ing. That has worked well with Enjoy The Walk, who in her first start back since January won the July 28 California Breeders Matron Stakes-RG3 at Los Alamitos.
“We got an embryo out of her by One Sweet Jess this year,” said Burns, add-
ing, “and I’d like to think that
that helped her win this race.”
It certainly didn’t hurt. Odds-on favorite Classy Sassy Check bobbled slightly at the start, while Saul Ramirez Jr. got Enjoy The Walk out of the gate well from the rail position. The Burns filly vied with Azshecanfly, grabbing the lead in deep stretch and winning by a half-length in :19.970.
58 SPEEDHORSE, August 17, 2012
Mike Casselman trains Enjoy The Walk for Burns. She finished second in the 2011 PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G3 and third in that year’s La Primera Del Ano Derby-G2.
“She was one of the fastest qualifiers to the PCQHRA Breeders Derby last year, so she does have the ability,” said Burns, who also bred Enjoy The Walk.
Burns thought enough of Enjoy The Walk to buy her back for $28,000 at the 2009 Los
Alamitos yearling sale. Enjoy The Walk is by the First Down Dash stal-
lion Walk Thru Fire, who stands at the Burns Ranch in Menifee, Calif. She is out of $140,956-earner
and multiple graded stakes winner Enjoy The Moment. The mare has four winners from five starters, includ- ing stakes-placed Enjoy
The Cash. Enjoy The Walk’s second dam is stakes winner Summit Flight, and the fourth dam is Champion Smooth Coin.
Sheza Shy Shahayla (First Down Dash- Shahayla) finished second for jockey G.R. Carter Jr. and trainer John Wells. Owned by Tom Atwood, the 4-year-old filly ran third in last year’s Governors Cup Derby-RG1.
Mimi Wells’ homebred Getit Together (Separatist-Seronka) ran third with Oscar Peinado in the saddle. Dan Francisco trains the 4-year-old filly, who captured the 2011 AQHA Members Plus Stakes.
Completing the field were Classic Sassy Check (Check Him Out-Classic Sassy Chic), Azshecanfly (Azyoucansee-PJ Flying Phoebe), Oh La Traffic (Hawkish-Coupers First Dash), and Breanna Moon (In Excess-TB- Moon Arisen).
Los Alamitos $50,000 • 400 yards :19.970 • si 80
First Down Dash
Walk Thru Fire
Sweet Beduino
ENJOY THE WALK, ’08-f.
Chicks Beduino
Enjoy The Moment
Summit Flight
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