Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sent to post as the 2-1 favorite, On Down The Road responded with a three-quarter length victory in Sunday's $85,000 Albert Dominguez Memorial Handicap (R) for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park.
On Down The Road covered his 1 1/16-mile trip in 1:43.51 under jockey Carlos Madeira. Joel Marr saddled the bay 4-year-old Desert God gelding for owner Lisa M. Rehburg of Mountain Center, California.
On Down The Road was bred by Joe Allen of Abilene, Texas. The gelding is one of 22 stakes winners from 151 starters sired by Desert God, an unraced 21-year-old son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Fappiano and a half brother to graded stakes winners Better Than Honour, Smolensk, and Turnberry Isle (IRE).
Desert God has sired the earners of more than $10.7 million, including multiple stakes winners Peppers Pride, Train Rider Blues, Our Choice, and Fullofenergy. The stallion is owned by Dale F. Taylor, Joe Allen and Ron Allen, and he will stand the 2013 season at Fred and Linda Alexander's A & A Ranch in Anthony, New Mexico.
On Down The Road's dam, On The Avenue, is a winning Oklahoma-bred daughter of the Olden Times stallion Talent Town.
Campaigned exclusively in New Mexico, On Down The Road has earned $269,219 from 13 races, and his five wins include a 1 3/4-length victory in the 1-mile, $180,480 Rocky Gulch New Mexico Cup Championship (R) at Zia Park on October 28. The gelding's stakes resume includes a second-place finish to Daddy O. in the March 18, $110,000 New Mexico State University Handicap (R) at Sunland Park, and a third-place finish behind Smash Dancer and Brother Louie in the July 29, $50,000 Land of Enchantment Handicap (R) at Ruidoso Downs.
On Down The Road returned a $6.20 win mutuel and teamed with runner-up Attitude E Racer, also trained by Marr, for a $56.60 ($2) exacta. Nuggets Please finished third, 2 ½ lengths behind the winner, to complete a $1 trifecta payoff of $86.90.
Cross Chris Run ran fourth and was followed by Zenon's Star, Our Choice, Doms Thunder, Brother Louie, Desert Gamble, Starlight Mesa, Spinning Touch, and Sapello Cantador.
A 4-year-old son of Desert God racing for Michael C. Stinson of Fort Worth, Texas, Attitude E Racer was coming off of a fourth-place run in the 6 1/2-furlong, $85,000 Johnie L. Jamison Handicap (R) at Sunland Park on December 9. The gelding has won four of 17 starts, including the October 28, 6-furlong New Mexico Cup Sprint Championship (R) at Zia Park, and the $17,000 runner-up share of the Dominguez Memorial Handicap purse boosted his bankroll to $296,664.
Nuggets Please races for Stable HMA, which claimed the 5-year-old son of the Mr. Prospector stallion Prospector Jones for $15,000 at Ruidoso Downs on August 13. All told, the gelding has won seven of 41 races – including the Johnie L. Jamison Handicap (R) on December 9 – and has earned $230,892, of which $89,156 has been banked since the claim.