Racing


Running Dragon Gets Third Straight Win in $85,000 NMHBA Quarter Stakes
Running Dragon, under jockey Adrian Ramos, easily winning the $85,000 NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes Sunday afternoon at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino.

© Coady Photography
Running Dragon Gets Third Straight Win in $85,000 NMHBA Quarter Stakes

SUNLAND PARK, NM—FEBRUARY 19, 2017—Bumped at the break, Running Dragon recovered quickly under jockey Adrian Ramos to drive to a 1½ length win over Peyote Run in the $85,000 NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes Sunday afternoon at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. Go Daddy Game finished a head back in third.

Trainer Samuel Robledo saddled Running Dragon to her ninth win—third straight—from 11 career starts. By By JJ LLC own the homebred daughter of leading second crop sire Zulu Dragon, from the Devon Lane (TB) mare Banking Lane. The $51,000 NMBA winners' purse boosted Running Dragon's earnings total to $521,641.

The gray filly seemed to have matters clearly in hand by mid-stretch and went on to win in a time of :19.431 seconds, good for a 92-speed index.

The multiple graded winner entered the race off a win in the January 15th Shue Fly Stakes(RG2) at Sunland Park. She kicked off her career at Sunland almost one year ago with a win in the RG2 New Mexico Spring Futurity. She won the Mountain Top Futurity(RG3) and was second in the RG2 New Mexico Classic Futurity last fall. Her only off the board performance came in the RG1 Zia Futurity at Ruidoso Downs last July.

The winning connections of Running Dragon accept the NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes trophy Sunday at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. © Coady Photography
Peytoe Run, a son of last year's #2 leading first crop sire Big Daddy Cartel, picked up $18,700 for second. Mauro Salcedo had the riding call aboard the 35-1 longshot for owner David Martinez and trainer Cynthia Gonzalez. The $18,700 second-place payday brings the colt's earnings total to $55,578. Gone

Bred by Eugene Therwhanger, from the Twin Spires (TB) mare Storm Run, Peyote Run was making his first stakes appearance since a fifth-place effort in the New Mexican Spring Futurity(RG2) last year.

Go Daddy Gone, another son of Big Daddy Cartel, earned $8,500 for third. Also, trained by Cynthia Gonzalez, the sorrel gelding races for owner Roy Hernandez and was ridden by Felipe Garcia-Luna. Famous Lane Farm LLC bred Go Daddy Gone from the Maknmoves mare Taylor Can Move. He was a finalist in the both the New Mexico Breeders' Futurity(RG3) and the New Mexico State Fair Breeders' Futurity last year.

A Super Sonic Boom, A Sure First, Miss Call Me First, Es Runnin and Mighty B Dragon completed the field. You Can Do It Regard was scratched.

Live racing resumes on Tuesday with an all-Thoroughbred race card starting at 1:30 p.m. (MST).  Sunland Park race replays can be viewed on You Tube. Just type "Sunland Park RacetrackCasino."