Monday, November 08, 2010
Noconi, the AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding two years ago, scored his seventh graded stakes victory in the Grade 2, 400-yard Lovington Stakes at Zia Park on Sunday.
Ridden by Jacky Martin for owners R.D. Hubbard and John T.L. Jones Jr., Noconi made his 400-yard trip in :19.343, and his margin of victory was a half of a length from Honor Me Good. Paul Jones trains the homebred 5-year-old gelding by Mr Jess Perry, who returned a $5 win mutuel as the 3-2 choice in the field of seven.
Noconi is an Oklahoma-bred and one of 97 stakes winners from 12 crops sired by Mr Jess Perry, the AQHA champion 2-year-old in 1994. Now 18, Mr Jess Perry has sired the earners of more than $34.1 million from 830 starters, including One Famous Eagle, a Grade 1 winner and the AQHA champion sophomore colt in 2008. He stands at 6666 Ranch at Guthrie, Texas.
Noconi’s dam, My Dashing Lady, was the sport’s champion broodmare in 2008. Now 14, the Grade 1-winning daughter of two-time world champion Dash For Cash has produced five winners from six starters, including Brenda Beautiful, a half sister to Noconi who won the ’08 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park and was that season’s champion 2-year-old filly.
Noconi’s second dam, Lady Signature, is an unraced 24-year-old mare by The Signature who has produced 13 winners from 16 starters, including two graded stakes winners in addition to My Dashing Lady – Western Heart, a First Down Dash gelding who won the 1996 Southern California Derby (G1) at Los Alamitos, and Sixy Lady, a filly by Streakin Six and winner of the 1991 Sunland Park Fall Futurity (G2).
Noconi traces back to his third dam, Lady Juno, a 1976 foal by the Bold Ruler (TB) stallion Master Hand (TB) who was the AQHA champion aged mare in 1980 and won that season’s Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos. Lady Juno foaled 10 winners from 15 starters, and she was a half sister to Life Styles, the winner of the $159,622 West Texas Futurity (G2) at Sunland Park.
The $33,000 winner’s share of the Lovington Stakes purse pushed Noconi’s bankroll to $987,163. The gelding’s nine wins in 24 races include the 440-yard, $40,000 All American Gold Cup (G2) at Ruidoso Downs on September 5, and the All American (G1) and Hobbs America (G2) derbies in ’08.
Noconi also won last year’s Lovington Handicap, defeating Little Bit Of Ah Ha by 1 ½ lengths in :19.230, his fastest clocking in nine starts at the 400-yard distance.
Sixish ran third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Honor Me Good. Chicks Gotta Secret, Jess Dellaree, Jessanotheraffair, and Double Out completed the order of finish.
Honor Me Good is a 5-year-old Idaho-bred gelding by With Honors campaigned by Rancho Los Dos Potrillos LLC, and the $12,100 runner-up share of the Lovington Stakes purse boosted his earnings to $154,561.
Honor Me Good was coming off of consecutive 400-yard allowance-optional claiming wins at Zia Park, and his 10 victories in 26 outs include the 2008 Intermountain Overnight Handicap at Los Alamitos. He also broke Evangeline Downs’ 350-yard track record when he won that season’s $75,000 AQHA Starter Allowance Challenge Championship in :17.462.
A Grade 1-winning gelding by champion Hawkinson racing for Hugo Barron Sierra of Longmont, Colorado, Sixish earned $5,500 to push his bankroll to $526,505 from 16 starts. The 4-year-old’s six wins include the 2008 PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos, and he ran second in that season’s Grade 1 Kindergarten and Ed Burke Million futurities.