Challenge


Distaff Challenge: Kono Looks To Take Charge


© AQHA / Andrea Caudill
Distaff Challenge: Kono Looks To Take Charge

By Andrea Caudill

AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION—NOVEMBER 14, 2018—The Idaho-bred mare Kono goes into the $100,000 AQHA Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) off two romping victories in the Northwest.

The sorrel mare represents a family of the breeding program of Stephen Jay Larsen of Centerville, Utah, who is joined in his hobby by his family, including son, Matt, as well as Matt's wife, Promise, and their sons, Logan and DJ.

Several decades ago, Larsen acquired the mare Windis Easy as a yearling from a friend of his, Ken Wood, now of Deer River, Minnesota.

The 1991 mare by Streakin Dash was a race winner in her career, and when she retired from the track would produce nine foals, and saw eight race, including stakes-placed runner Senor El Patron. But the best among the group was her 2000 foal, Italian Princess – the dam of Kono. Italian Princess, a daughter of Blushing Bug, would win five career starts, including the Intermountain Futurity for Larsen.

The next generation in the broodmare band, Italian Princess in 2014 foaled Kono, a daughter of Dashair.

Kono is named after Officer Kono on Hawaii Five-0.

Kono started her career in the fall of her 2-year-old year, and closed her 3-year-old year with a second-place run in the Elko Co. Fair Derby. The second-generation homebred was saddled by the second generation horseman, Matt, in her stakes-placed finish.

Matt also saddled the mare in the Sandy Downs Distaff this year, as well as her three most recent starts, which included a second-place finish (by a nose), followed by two daylight wins, including a sparkling allowance victory at Elko Co. Fair that saw her earn a career-high 109 speed index. Kono has lit the board in nine of 16 career starts and has earnings of $13,396.

Intermountain horseman Monty Arrossa will saddle the mare at the Championships.

"She ran well around the Intermountain area this year," Arrossa noted. "She's doing well here. We haven't had a chance to run her here, but we worked her once under the lights. She worked great.

"She's a pleasure to be around," he added. "Steve and his family have done a great job with her."

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