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DENVER PASS ALL AMERICAN FUTURITY (G1) PREVIEW
Denver Pass, under jockey Jacky Martin, prior to his qualifying race at Ruidoso Downs.
Photo Courtesy AQHARUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—AUGUST 31, 2011—The 2011 All American Futurity (G1) is racing’s richest race for 2-year-olds, regardless of breed, in North America. Run every Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs in the mountain village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, the $2.4 million-est. race will be contested September 5 by 10 2-year-old American Quarter Horses, and Lady Bug Stallion Station's homebred Denver Pass qualified.
The estimated $1.2 million for first place would be a record prize in the sport.
DENVER PASS
Sorrel colt, Corona Cartel-First Carolina by Mr Jess Perry
Foaled: March 10, 2009
Weetona Stanley and William Smith’s Denver Pass finished second by three parts of a side to Jess Cuervo in the 25th trial, with a :21.336 clocking.
Race Record: 4-2-1-1 $21,904, won Rainbow Juvenile (R). The Corona Cartel colt broke his maiden on first asking, a Heritage Place Futurity trial on May 7 at Remington Park. In his second race, a July 8 trial to the Rainbow Futurity (G1), he finished third behind Texas Rockstar and YM Quick, both of whom went on to contest the $700,000 final won by Feature Mr Bojangles, while he went on to win the $20,000 Rainbow Juvenile Invitational Stakes (R).
Owner/Breeder: Denver Pass continues the decades-long tradition of breeding fast horses by the Stanley family, who own the Lady Bug Stallion Station at Madill, Oklahoma. The colt is bred and owned by Weetona Stanley and William Smith. Stanley is the widow of A.F. Stanley Jr., who in partnership with B.F. Phillips Jr., bred world champion and all-time leading sire First Down Dash.
Trainer: Blane Wood of Lubbock, Texas, has trained 699 winners from 3,605 starters and the earners of more than $10.2 million. They include champions Leading Spirit and Haulin Pass. Wood led all the trainers with three All American Futurity qualifiers: Jess Send Me, Lethal Volt and Denver Pass. Wood’s father, Leo, sent out champion Pie In The Sky to win the 1979 All American Futurity.
Qualifying Jockey: Reigning champion jockey Jacky Martin returned to race riding in a big way in 2010, jumping in with year-end earnings of $3.2 million and the champion jockey award. The seven-time All American Futurity-winning jockey, who rode his first official races in 1972, has ridden 2,968 winners from 14,344 starters and the earners of more than $46.4 million. Martin also qualified Ochoa, Tee Cos and Mr Ease 123.
Pedigree: A 17-year-old son of Holland Ease (who sired All American Futurity 10th-fastest qualifier Mr Ease 123), sire Corona Cartel earned $557,142 on the track, where in 1996 he won the Los Alamitos Million Futurity (the Grade 1 race that now is the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity). The fifth-all-time leading sire, Corona Cartel from 933 starters has sired 651 winners and the earners of more than $34.9 million. Corona Cartel is the sire of five champions and 112 other stakes winners, including champion Teller Cartel, who won the 2005 All American Futurity. Corona Cartel is the sire of Denver Pass, Tee Cos, Jess Cuervo and Big Daddy Cartel. Denver Pass is the first winner from two starters out of First Carolina, who is one of five stakes winners out of First Prize Dash, a $77,465-earning full sister to First Down Dash. From 27 starters, First Prize Dash has produced 22 winners and the earners of $2,193,616, including five stakes winners. In 2006, the season she was the AQHA broodmare of the year, First Prize Dash was represented by the freshman full sisters First Carolina and First Prize Robin, both of whom were Mr Jess Perry fillies bred by Weetona Stanley.
Raced by the partnership of William Smith and Lloyd Scherwinski, First Prize Robin in 2006 won the Remington Park Futurity (G1), was fourth in the Ruidoso Futurity (G1) and earned $295,147. First Carolina was raced by Stanley and Smith, and became a $415,047 earner, who scored in the 2006 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) and 2007 Remington Park Derby (G2).
The All American Futurity is the world’s richest and most prestigious American Quarter Horse race. Fans can watch the race – and most others – free of charge at www.qracingvideo.com. Q-Racing Video provides users with unlimited access to live and replay simulcast race video of every American Quarter Horse track in the United States and Canada that exports a simulcast signal. Registration is free. To sign up, go to www.qracingvideo.com.
For complete coverage of All American week at Ruidoso Downs, visit www.aqharacing.com. Read the September issue of the Q-Racing Journal, the digital publication covering American Quarter Horse racing, for full post-race analysis, available at www.aqharacing.com.
AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal or America’s Horse, visit AQHA Publications.