Hubbard, Jones, Martinez Sweep Saturday Ruidoso Stakes

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM


Hubbard, Jones, Martinez Sweep Saturday Ruidoso Stakes


RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—SEPTEMBER 1, 20007—Horses owned by R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard, trained by Paul Jones and ridden by Freddie Martinez won both $40,000 stakes on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.
R.D. Hubbard’s Ketel Won captured 25th running of the All American Gold Cup (G3), and his wife’s Tricky Dust captured his third consecutive Brigand Handicap (G3) on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

Under a hand ride from Martinez, Ketel Won easily took the Gold Cup by 2-1/4 length from Vital Winner. The four-year-old son of Stoli covered 440 yards in :21.204 in recording his second win in three starts this year.

In June, Ketel Won won the Grade 3 Higheasterjet Handicap, then ran a fast-closing head behind A Long Goodbye in the Grade 3 Mr Jet Moore Stakes in August.

“I didn’t expect him to break that good,” Jones said. “He finished strong.”

Jones said Ketel Won might head to California to continue his campaign. “We’re talking about taking him to Los Alamitos and maybe running him in either the (Grade 1) Go Man Go (on September 15) or the Los Al Championship(October 13),” Jones said. The latter awards the winner an automatic berth in the Grade 1 $1 million Champion of Champions in December.

Ketel Won now has won four of 11 races in his career and has earned $110,680.

In the Brigand, two races earlier, Martinez patiently waited for racing room aboard 4-5 favorite Tricky Dust and overtook front-running Really Divine down the stretch to win by 2-1/2 lengths. The Brigand was contested at 1,000 yards in 2005 and ’06 but was reduced to 870 yards this year.

“When the hole opened up, I knew I could catch her down the lane,” the jockey said.

Carrying top weight of 126 pounds, Tricky Dust defeated Really Divine, who was bidding for her fourth consecutive win this year at Ruidoso. His time for 870 yards was :45.387. The seven-year-old gelding by champion Thoroughbred Favorite Trick, a half brother to champion distance horse Prankster CF, is a homebred racing for Joan Dale Hubbard. He now has won 12 of 31 races, including six stakes races at Ruidoso, and has earned $298,586.

Racing continues on Sunday with the Grade 1, $504,693 All American Derby for three-year-old American Quarter Horses. The season concludes on Monday with the 49th running of the Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity for two-year-olds. The approximate post time of both races is 4:45 p.m. MDT.

Both races will be televised live on TVG.

For handicappers, advance wagering on Sunday’s All American Derby will begin on Saturday, and advance wagering on Monday’s All American Futurity will be offered on Sunday. For the first time, the track is offering the All American Double, a bet in which fans win by selecting the winners of the Derby and the Futurity.