Pepper’s Pride, Ketel Won Zia Park Horses of the Meet
Joe Allen’s homebred Pepper’s Pride is gaining national attention with her career-starting win streak reaching 13 races following her two wins at Zia Park this fall. The Joel Marr-trained 3-year-old filly easily won an allowance race by seven lengths and then rallied to a 2-length victory in the $182,000 New Mexico Cup Fillies and mares Championship during New Mexico Cup Day on November 11. All of her 13 career wins have been against New Mexico-bred females. She is chasing the modern record of 16 wins starting a career shared by Mr Frisky and Hallowed Dreams.
-photo credit Bill Pitt
-photo
credit Bill Pitt
Ketel Won - $186,000 Zia Park
Quarter Horse Championship
R.D. Hubbard’s Ketel Won
made just one start at Zia Park this fall, but it was an impressive win in
the Grade 1, $186,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship on Sunday
afternoon. He pulled away from and excellent field to win by a half length.
He was also named the Ruidoso Downs older horse of the meet and was third in
the Grade 1, $200,000 Los Alamitos Championship on October 13. He is
scheduled to race in the Grade 1, $400,000 The Championship at Sunland Park
on December 29.
On the Thoroughbred side of the mixed 48-day meet, Tap Dancing Mauk was named the top older horse and Yonegwa was honored as the leading juvenile.
Tap Dancing Mauk made just one start at Zia Park when he shipped in from Churchill Downs to defend his title in the $186,000 Zia Park Distance Championship. He got a ground-saving trip from jockey Casey Lambert to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
Yonegwa prevailed in a contentious field of 2-year-olds by virtue of his hard-fought win in the Governor’s Stakes. He went from gate-to-wire to win in 1:10 3/5 for the six furlongs.
Joining Ketel Won as top Quarter Horses for the meet were The Crawfish, Furrtreeous and Cronus.
The Crawfish, a stable mate of Ketel Won from the Paul Jones barn, defeated a strong field in the Grade 2 Hobbs America Derby. Second was the stakes veteran Angelina Balleria and third went to Vital Winner, who then finished second to Ketel Won in the Zia Park Championship.
Furrtreeous won the $305,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship for his career-defining victory. He won by a neck over Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity runner-up Eye Of Glory.
Cronus was honored as champion distance horse and was the sole multiple stakes winner during the Zia Park season. He won three straight races at Zia Park, capped by his wins in the Herman Jefferson Stakes and the Black Gold Casino Stakes.