Champion Noconi Comes On For Second Higheasterjet Win

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (July 3, 2011) – R.D. Hubbard and Johnny T.L. Jones Jr.’s homebred Noconi, the 11-10 favorite, showed his championship class in the final 150 yards to win the Grade 3, $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap for the second time in three years on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

Champion Jacky Martin was aboard two-time champion Noconi for the win in a quick :17.158 for the 350 yards, a distance shorter than the six-year-old gelding prefers.

Honor Me Good, an 18-1 longshot, was second and Separate Bet finished third. Noconi and Separate Bet are each from the Paul Jones stable.

Noconi drifted in during the Higheasterjet, but pulled away from Honor Me Good to get his sixth win from 14 starts at Ruidoso Downs. He also has three seconds and three thirds at the mountain track. His local wins include the 2008 All American Derby, 2009 Higheasterjet Handicap, 2009 Mr Jet Moore Handicap and the 2010 All American Gold Cup.

A son of Mr Jess Perry and broodmare of the year My Dashing Lady, Noconi has been honored by the American Quarter Horse Association as the 2008 champion three-year-old gelding and the 2010 champion aged gelding. He wrapped up his championship run last year with grade 1 wins in the $150,000 Zia Park Championship and The Championship at Sunland Park.

He has earned $1,248,565 from 28 starts with only three starts (no wins) outside of New Mexico. His best effort was a second in the 2009 Refrigerator Handicap at Lone Star Park.

“He is comfortable here in his own space. It’s his comfort zone here in New Mexico, no lights and no shipping,” said Lisa Saumell, who oversees Jones’ New Mexico operation. “Three hundred and fifty yards is not his thing, 440 is. We’ll go to the (440-yard) All American Gold Cup next.”

Martin, last year’s national champion jockey, was unseated after the Higheasterjet when Noconi shied on the turn after the race and the veteran rider suffered a leg injury. He returned to the jockeys’ quarters and was walking with some discomfort.

Runner-up Honor Me Good, owned by Rancho Los Dos Portillos, raced to his second stakes runner-up finish this year. The gelding from the Ralph Muniz stable was a neck behind A Tincup Cocktail in the West Texas Maturity last April.

Third-place finisher Separate Bet continues to amaze as a seven-year-old graded-stakes campaigner. He set the Ruidoso Downs 400-yard track record and won the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby as a sophomore and was third in the Grade 1 Leo Stakes at Remington Park two starts ago. His earnings now approach $800,000 from 28 starts, with 11 wins.