THE AGELESS WONDER---A LONG GOODBYE

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM


A Long Goodbye holds off Ketel Won in the Mr Jet Moore Handicap.
Photo by Bill Pitt, Jr.


Ageless A Long Goodbye Shows Up In Mr Jet Moore



RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—AUGUST 4, 2007—The 7-year-old A Long Goodbye turned in the 26th victory of his 58-race career to show he will be around for awhile in the $40,000 Mr Jet Moore Handicap at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday afternoon.
The Julian DeVargas-owned and -trained A Long Goodbye broke on top and held a decisive advantage until even-money favorite Ketel Won made his late charge. The Pure D Dash gelding raced the 400 yards in :19.507 for the head victory with Salvador Estrada Jr. aboard.

“He broke today and that was it,” said DeVargas. “He’s as honest as there is and really smart.”

A Long Goodbye is blind in one eye and prefers day racing, according to DeVargas.

A Long Goodbye has had much success at Sunland Park, but has also come through on the road. He came into the Mr Jet Moore off a track-record effort at SunRay Park when he won the LaPlata Stakes in :19.30 for 400 yards. It was his fourth-straight win in the LaPlata Stakes.

At Sunland Park, he set the 440-yard world record of :20.68 when he won the 2005 running of the MBNA New Mexico Challenge for the first of back-to-back wins in the Grade 1 stakes. In 2006, he swept the three major stakes for older horses at Sunland Park.

The Mr Jet Moore was billed as a match-up between A Long Goodbye and Ketel Won. R.D. Hubbard’s Ketel Won, trained by Paul Jones, made an eye-catching return from a layoff to win the Higheasterjet Handicap by an increasing length in :17.29, his start prior to the Mr Jet Moore. The 4-year-old gelding is by leading third year sire Stoli.

Finishing third, a length and a quarter behind the top-two finishers, was 6-1 shot Heza Caliente Hombre. The 4-year-old Heza Fast Man old gelding was stepping up to the stakes division after recent success against high-priced claiming and conditioned allowance company.

A Long Goodbye rewarded his backers with $5.20, $3.00 and $2.40. Ketel Won returned $3.20 and $2.40 while Heza Caliente Hombre paid $2.60.