Saturday, April 16, 2011
A quick start from post 5 helped Snow Regard score a wire-to-wire, one-length victory in Saturday's $75,000 Sunburst Stakes (R) for New Mexico-bred sophomore fillies at Sunland Park.
Saddled by Juan M. Gonzalez for KH Logax Inc. of Oro Valley, Arizona, Snow Regard covered 350 yards in :17.125 under jockey Jaime Leos, who was riding the homebred gray filly for the first time in her eight-race career. The $45,000 winner's share of the purse increased her earnings to $81,748.
Snow Regard's sire, Chicks Regard, is a stakes-winning 12-year-old son of the late Chicks Beduino. A finalist in the 2001 Sunland Park Fall Futurity (G2), Chicks Regard banked $52,783 from six wins in 13 outs while racing from 2001-03.
Chicks Regard's top performers include graded stakes winners A Streak Regard, Ms Regard, Uncovered Regard, and Mr Regard. The stallion is owned by K. Humberto Lopez Gaxiola and stands for a $2,500 fee at Lazy E Ranch at Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Snow Regard's dam is the winning 9-year-old Major Rime mare Sha Hooy Hooy.
Campaigned exclusively in New Mexico, Snow Regard has won three of her eight races. Her record includes a second-place finish to URA Fury Lady in last year's New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) during the State Fair portion of The Downs at Albuquerque meet.
BG Jungle Fever ran second, a head in front of third-place Hollywood Caliente. My Dekalb Delite, Merryvale, Rapid Dough, 5-2 favorite URA Fury Lady, Injun Miss Fire, Spice Girl, and Southern Formed.
BG Jungle Fever earned $15,750 to push her bankroll to $53,854 for owner Mario A. Montoya, who also trains the gray daughter of Metallic Lion. BG Jungle Fever was making her first start since February 20, when she won a 350-yard state-bred maiden race by three-quarters of a length at Sunland Park.
A brown filly campaigned by Andy Horny and Jerry Hill from the barn of John Stinebaugh, Hollywood Caliente has earned $44,965 from one win in six outs. Hollywood Caliente was a finalist in the January 1 Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) at Sunland.