Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Racing at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico, kicks off a day early this weekend, as the track presents a special day-after-Thanksgiving Friday program. Post time for the first race will be 12:15 p.m. (MST).
Zia Park’s purses for the three-day holiday weekend will reach $959,800 for 33 races, an average of $29,085 per race. Of that total, $318,800 in purses will be for races restricted to New Mexico-breds.
Zia Park’s weekend stakes lineup kicks off with two races on Saturday, including the 400-yard, $140,000 New Mexico Fillies and Mares Quarter Horse Championship (RG2). The sixth race on the card (post time, 2:25 p.m.), this race has drawn a full field of 10 state-bred distaffers, including Mike Abraham’s Blazin N Shakin, a homebred 5-year-old daughter of Chicks A Blazin who has earned $533,335 from nine wins in 14 starts.
Blazin N Shakin will be making just her second start of the season and first since October 3. She collected three stakes victories last year, including this race.
Also, Woody Dungarees will be making her first start against older fillies and mares. A homebred 3-year-old filly by Woodbridge racing for Ron and Kay Jenkins’ Holy Bucket LLC, Woody Dungarees has a five-race win streak that includes four 400-yard stakes.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – Kate Of Spades (G.R. Carter Jr., 124), 10-1; Blazin N Shakin (Chris Zamora, 126), 7-2; Lethal Delight (Ricky Ramirez, 126), 9-2; Six Royal Alibis (Oscar Rincon, 124), 20-1; Woody Dungarees (Alonso Rivera, 124), 8-1; Niftys Royal Flush (Tony Guymon, 124), 15-1; My Box Of Chocolate (Esgar Ramirez, 126), 12-1; Rime Has A Chick (Freddie Martinez, 126), 3-1; Jenuine Joy (Larry Payne, 126), 6-1; and BP Shes Southern (Jacky Martin, 126), 8-1.
Saturday’s other stakes, the 6-furlong, $55,000 Zia Park Distaff (post time, 4:09), has also attracted a field of 10. Hayley’s Halo, a homebred 3-year-old filly by Sea Of Secrets racing for Lathrop G. Hoffman, drew post 9 and will put on the line a two-race winning streak that includes the 1-mile, $60,000 Chaves County Stakes at Zia Park on October 3.
Hayley’s Halo’s nine opponents include SMS Racing LLC’s Petition The Lady, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Petionville. Last year, Petition The Lady assembled a four-race win streak that included the 7 ½-furlong, $50,000 Fern Sawyer Handicap at Ruidoso Downs.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds – Linnea (Juan Ochoa, 119), 9-2; Petition The Lady (Miguel Hernandez, 119), 10-1; Snowdrop (Freddy Fong Jr., 119), 12-1; Devils Humor (Ken Tohill, 119), 8-1; Songtress (Ricardo Jaime, 121), 15-1; Scherzi (Vernon Scantling, 123), 20-1; Indiabonita (Alfredo Juarez Jr., 123), 20-1; No Other Tone (Casey Lambert, 119), 5-2; Hayley’s Halo (Alejandro Medellin, 121), 7-2; and Perfectly Nice (Justin Shepherd, 121), 5-1.
Sunday’s 11-race card includes the $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) for 2-year-olds (post time, 4:09) . A total of 10 horses have entered the 440-yard sprint, including three who are ranked in the top 10 in the AQHA Racing/HorseplayerNow.com poll – Prospect To The Top (number 4), The Goodbye Kisser (8), and West Coast Hawk (10).
A bay colt by Coronas Prospect racing for Joel Tavarez, Prospect To The Top is coming off of a 1 ½-length victory in the October 10, $313,499 Hobbs America Futurity (G2) at Zia Park. Prospect To The Top was also a finalist in the $1.9-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs on September 6.
Jorge Marcelo’s The Goodbye Kisser has won five of her six starts in California, including the Grade 1, $425,600 PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity at Los Alamitos on October 2. West Coast Hawk has won three of four races, including the May 15, $362,300 Kindergarten Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos for his owners, Balgo Racing Team Inc.
All horses will tote 122 pounds. The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments – Ocean Paradise (Joe Martinez), Royally Sandra (Larry Payne), The Goodbye Kisser (Ramon Sanchez), Zoomandkicken (Ricky Ramirez), Prospect To The Top (Jacky Martin), West Coast Hawk (G.R. Carter Jr.), Sixes Liaison (Saul Ramirez Jr.), Cold Cash 123 (Jose Montoya), Natalias Got Moves (Esgar Ramirez), and Endless Ocean (Freddie Martinez).