|
 Coady Photography/story by Michael Cusortelli
McKenna's Justice Takes Zia Park
Distance Championship
Hobbs, NM December 4, 2011 - McKenna's Justice, a 4-year-old
Medaglia D'Oro colt owned by Judge Lanier Racing, closed with a rush
to win Sunday's 1 1/8-mile, $217,000 Zia Park Distance Championship,
the featured event on the track's 11-race closing-day program.
Ridden by Miguel Hernandez for trainer Justin Evans, McKenna's
Justice covered his nine-furlong trip in 1:50.56, after he'd closed
on the :24.64 and :49.77 fractions set by 5-2 favorite Imco Spirit
(IRE). His winning margin was a nose from runner-up Red Lead, and he
returned a $36.60 win mutuel as a 17-1 longshot.
McKenna's Justice earned $127,596 while scoring his first career
stakes victory. The colt was bred in Kentucky by McKenna
Thoroughbreds LLC, and he became the 29 stakes winner sired by
Medaglia D'Oro, a 12-year-old stallion by El Prado (IRE) who won
three Grade 1 stakes from 2002-04, including the 2002 Travers Stakes
(G1) at Saratoga.
Medaglia D'Oro's 293 starters have banked more than $24.4 million
and include Plum Pretty, the winner of this year's Grade 1,
$1-million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, and 2009 Horse of the
Year Rachel Alexandra. He stands for a $100,000 fee at Darley
America at Lexington, Kentucky.
McKenna's Justice's dam, Regretfully, is a winning daughter of the
El Gran Senor stallion Lit de Justice. Now 13, Regretfully has
foaled five winners from as many starters, including
Wholelottabourbon, a half brother to McKenna's Justice who won four
stakes at Woodbine Racecourse near Toronto from 2004-05.
McKenna's Justice was coming off of a fourth-place run in the 1
1/16-mile, $55,090 Veteran Stakes at Zia Park on November 5. All
told, the colt has won four of 24 starts including three of 12
this year and he has earned $233,147.
Vamoose finished third, two lengths behind runner-up Red Lead.
Spurrier, Skip A Smile, Imco Spirit, Matto Mondo (CHI), and Infinite
Resource completed the order of finish.
A well-traveled 5-year-old by Red Bullet campaigned by Frontier
Stables LLC, Red Lead has raced at eight different tracks in five
states. The gelding has won seven races, including three stakes, and
he has banked $569,205 from 31 outs.
Vamoose is a 4-year-old gelding by the Seeking The Gold stallion
Petionville who has $145,411 for his owner, Everest Stables Inc. A
homebred, Vamoose has won five of 15 races, including the November 5
Veteran Stakes at Zia Park, and the September 5, $50,000 Ruidoso
Downs Thoroughbred Championship Stakes.
|
