Saturday, October 09, 2010
He’s A Tough Dude, a 5-year-old gelding by Tough Men racing for Valle Racing LLC, scored a wire-to-wire victory in Saturday’s University of New Mexico Handicap (R) for state-bred older horses at The Downs at Albuquerque.
Prepped by Jose Gonzalez and ridden by Jorge Gonzalez, He’s A Tough Dude went 1 mile in 1:36.70 after setting fractions of :24.60, :47.77, and 1:11.58. The gelding’s margin of victory was one length from runner-up Silver Matthias. Some Ghost, the 5-2 favorite, finished third, 2 ¼ lengths behind the winner.
He’s A Tough Dude was bred by Ronald G. Carlile of Liberal, Kansas, and he is one of three winners from four starters sired by Tough Men, a winning 13-year-old son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Woodman. Tough Men’s four crops have earned more than $141,800, and He’s A Tough Dude represents his top earning starter.
He’s A Tough Dude’s dam, the Victorian Line mare Krisi My Girl, won two stakes in 2000 – the $30,000 Chamisa Handicap at The Downs at Albuquerque and the $27,500 Columbine Handicap at Arapahoe Park near Denver. Now 15, Krisi My Girl has produced three winners from as many starters.
He’s A Tough Dude’s third dam, Tudor Luck, was a winning daughter of the Bold Ruler stallion What Luck who ran second in the 1977 Southwest Louisiana Futurity (R) at Evangeline Downs. A 1975 Louisiana-bred foal, Tudor Luck also ran third in the ’79 Senorita Handicap at Jefferson Downs in Louisiana.
A half sister to two stakes-placed runners in Louisiana, Tudor Luck died in 1986.
He’s A Tough Dude has earned $117,773 from 44 starts, and he gelding’s seven victories include the 1 1/16-mile, $40,000 Lineage Championship (R) at Albuquerque on August 22. The gelding ran for a $5,000 tag as recently as June 20 at SunRay Park.
The 2.80-to-1 second choice, He’s A Tough Dude returned a $7.60 win mutuel and teamed with Silver Matthais, a 10-1 longshot, for a $74 ($2) exacta. Some Ghost completed a $2 trifecta payoff of $293.80.
Brother John D., Spinning Touch, La Sorpresa, and Whos Lazy completed the order of finish.
Silver Matthais banked $8,000 to push his earnings to $111,780 for owner Joyce A. Harris of Flora Vista, New Mexico. A homebred 6-year-old gelding by the Capote stallion Aledo, Silver Matthais has won five of 32 outs, including last year’s University of New Mexico Handicap (R).
Some Ghost is a 9-year-old bay gelding by Ghostly Moves owned and trained by Jess Alley of Sunland Park, New Mexico. Some Ghost has won 15 of 48 races and has earned $887,562, of which $810,631 has been banked since the beginning of his 4-year-old campaign. The gelding has eight stakes victories, including the last four runnings of the $100,000 Albert Dominguez Memorial Handicap (R) at Sunland Park.