TRICKY DUST WINS AT RUIDOSO

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM

Tricky Dust Shows Class and Speed To Win Master Salls


RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 4, 2007—Joan Dale Hubbard’s Tricky Dust showed his class and his heels to five rivals to win the $40,000 Master Salls Handicap over 870 yards for the third straight year this afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
With Freddie Martinez gunning Tricky Dust to the lead from the outside post position, the veteran 7-year-old gelding sprinted to the early lead and ran around the turn like the champion distance horse at Ruidoso Downs, a title that he earned last summer with three wins from three local starts. Martinez looked back in the lane and then let Tricky Dust gallop to victory.

The Paul Jones-trained Favorite Trick gelding raced the 870 yards in :44.839 for his 11th victory from 30 career starts.

Tricky Dust crossed the finish line an easy two-and-a-quarter lengths ahead of Jackspots while La Especial Corona finished third.

“We put the speed back in him when we worked him 220 yards,” Jones, the 5-time defending national training champion, said. “When they run a lot of 870 races they can lose their speed.”

The previous time that Tricky Dust went for the early lead was in last summer’s Brigand Handicap and he wrapped up his distance title with a 5-length win. In his three starts between that win and the Master Salls win, he came from off the pace and was winless.

Tricky Dust will now probably focus on defending his title in the 1000-yard Brigand Handicap on Labor Day weekend.

Sent off as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering, Tricky Dust returned $6.00, $4.60 and $2.80. Jackspots paid $9.20 and $3.60 while La Especial Corona was worth $2.20 to show.