 Tommie
Morelos / Coady Photography
Top Gun B takes $194,262 Sunland Park Winter
Quarter Horse Futurity (Grade 2; Kool Angel wins $135,615 Sunland
Park Quarter Horse Derby (Grade 2)
Sunland Park, NM - 30, 2011 - Trainer Andres Gonzalez finished
1-2 in the $194,262 Sunland Park Winter Quarter Horse Futurity as
Top Gun B outran stable mate A Fortunate Choice by a neck to win the
400 yard Grade 2 event.
Despite acting up before the start, Top Gun B rumbled to neck
victory in a time of 19.169 seconds. Under a cool from jockey Oscar
Rincon, the son of Pyc Paint Your Wagon broke strongly and quickly
took a firm grip of the lead. The brown gelding maintained a high
cruising speed and looked sharp down the lane.
Rincon said in the winner’s circle, “He was a little feisty in the
gate, but he still got away good and was on top. I didn’t think they
would catch me. The longer, the better with this horse.”
Top Gun B earned a $91,304 payday for Junior’s Quarter Horses, Inc.
from Denver, Colorado. The 6-1 shot paid $15.00 to win. He has three
wins from six starts.
The improving A Fortunate Choice ran a big race for the Gonzalez
stable and finished a close second with jockey Bonifacio Perez in
the irons. The runner-up fought hard to edge out third place
finisher Mr Taka B. A Fortune Choice earned $34,968 for owners Ramon
Gonzalez, Jr. and Homer Varela. The Regal Choice filly was the top
qualifier and raced as the mild 3-1 favorite.
Kool Angel motored to a half-length victory in the $135,636 Sunland
Park Winter Quarter Horse Derby at 400 yards. Under jockey Esgar
Ramirez, the Paul Jones trainee produced a career best effort in the
Grade 2 Derby. The First N Kool filly broke on top and never let up
on the throttle. The 5-2 second favorite won by a half length in a
time of 19.063 seconds, good for a 94 speed index. She returned
$7.80 on a $2 win ticket.
Jones said in the winner’s circle, “We brought the horse over from
Zia Park, and Lisa Saumell and my team did a great job.”
Kool Angel earned $63,740 for the Macias Performance Horses of
Socorro, Texas. Sunland Park’s leading Quarter Horse rider Esgar
Ramirez piloted the winner. The Utah-bred now has 4 wins from 12
starts and bankroll exceeding $90,000.
The Steel Wave and jockey Salvador Martinez closed eagerly to get
second place. 8-5 favorite and top qualifier Zoomandkicken finished
third, beaten over a neck.
Live racing resumes on Saturday at 12:25 p.m. Cold Cash 123 goes for
the World Champion title in the $350,000 Grade 1 Championship at
Sunland Park (10th race).
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