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© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 5, 2015—Johnny Trotter’s Bodacious Eagle has been a solid Grade 1 horse throughout his career, however he should now get the respect his owner says he deserves after an impressive fastest-qualifying win in his trial to the Grade 1, $1,067,761 Rainbow Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
Bodacious Eagle left no doubt who would be the top qualifier when he raced the 440 yards in :21.121 while winning the eighth of 10 trials by an expanding one-and-one-half lengths.
“He’s a bigtime horse,” Trotter said. “Maybe they’ll talk about him now.”
There was plenty to discuss before his Rainbow Derby trial win. He had qualified for four Grade 1 futurities and was one of only two horses to qualify for all three Grade 1 futurities last summer at Ruidoso Downs – the $700,000 Ruidoso Futurity, the $900,000 Rainbow Futurity and the $2.6 million All American Futurity. He then traveled to Los Alamitos and qualified for the Grade 1, $2 million Los Alamitos Two Million. He was an $8,000 purchase by Trotter as an embryo and earned $322,015 last year.
Bodacious Eagle has always been a pet to Trotter. “I went to the barn the other day and he looked out and recognized me. He’s my buddy,” Trotter said.
While he was a bargain, he has a stout pedigree. He is by world champion sire One Famous Eagle and his second dam is the champion and leading producer Dashing Phoebe. La Feliz Montna Ranch is the breeder.
Terry Baber’s Sam Crow has won four of his latest five starts with his only defeat a third-place run in the All American Futurity. Paris Wixon bred the Valiant Hero gelding in Oklahoma from the Chicks Beduino mare Burbonstreetchick.
Ricky Ramirez rode both Bodacious Eagle and Sam Crow.
Vwp Jr.Inc.’s Cobalt Creek scored the second-fastest qualifying time of :21.176 while taking the sixth trial by two lengths under Omar Reyes. The Walk Thru Fire gelding qualified for the Grade 1, $815,000 Ruidoso Derby.
Jim Streelman and Bill Dale bred Cobalt Creek in Missouri from the Check Him Out mare Checknbac.
Conda Maze and Tyler Graham’s champion Kiss My Hocks showed he is back in peak form with an eye-catching trial win with the fourth-fastest time of :21.318. In his only other 2015 start, his Ruidoso Derby trial, he finished a lackluster fourth.
“Write off the last race. Just forget it,” trainer Toby Keeton said. “He’ll be fine.”
“He’s some horse,” Carter Jr. said. “He broke out a little bit and I just had to pick him up.” He then rolled to the two-length victory.
Last year, Kiss My Hocks was named champion two-year-old and champion two-year-old colt. He set a Sam Houston Race Park track record in his first start and won the Grade 2, $563,950 Sam Houston Futurity, the Grade 1, $700,000 Ruidoso Futurity and was second by a neck in the Grade 1, $900,000 Rainbow Futurity.
Graham and John Mayers bred the son of champion Tempting Dash in Texas from the Tres Seis mare Romancing Mary.
The other champion in the trials, champion two-year-old filly Jess Walkin Thru, qualified for the Rainbow Derby with the ninth-fastest time of :21.465. The Walk Thru Fire filly won the fourth trial by one-half length for trainer Mike Robbins and jockey Jose Amador Alvarez.
Jess Walkin Thru, a $137,000 purchase at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, is owned by Gary and Linda Gordon with Ross Roark. Bred by in Utah by Lance Robinson and Max Anderson, Jess Walk Thru is out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess Sass Me.
The horses with the 10-fastest times are eligible for the Rainbow Derby and the horses next 10-fastest times lead the horses eligible for the $100,000 Corona Cartel. The Rainbow Derby and the Corona Cartel will be held on July 18.
For the complete list of qualifiers to the Rainbow Derby including times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.
For the list of preferred invites to the Corona Cartel CLICK HERE.
For complete Ruidoso Downs’ information, go to www.raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow the Ruidoso Press Box (@RuiPressBox) on Twitter.