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Whistle Stop Cafe 2020 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, Only Second Juvenile Filly To Earn The Title

Whistle Stop Cafe has been named the 2020 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, joining only Laico Bird before her as a 2-year-old filly who earned the world champion title.

Laico Bird earned her title in 1967. This past year, Whistle Stop Cafe was undefeated in six starts, earning $1,974,986. She was also the champion 2-year-old and champion 2-year-old filly.

Owners Whitmire Ranch of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, bought her for a mere $42,000 as a yearling, and trainer Blane Wood and jockey Ricky Ramirez guided the filly to win her Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trial and the Heritage Place Juvenile. She then travelled to Ruidoso, where she won her trial and the final of the $1 million Rainbow Futurity (G1), and went on to win her trial and the final of the $3 million All American Futurity (G1).

Whistle Stop Cafe was bred by Bobby D. Cox and is by Freighttrain B and out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Sinuous.

The champion 2-year-old colt is Dulce Sin Tacha, who won five of six starts and earned $518,403 for breeders and owners Bob and Jerry Gaston. Dulce Sin Tacha is by Jess Good Candy and out of the Tempting Dash mare Prissy Sin Tacha. Trained by Heath Taylor and ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo, his year was led by a victory in the $1,031,211 Texas Classic Futurity (G1).

Apollitical Gold took his run everywhere he went to earn his champion 2-year-old gelding title. Racing for breeder Grant R. Cox Revocable Trust, the son of Apollitical Jess out of SRC Gold by PYC Paint Your Wagon won four of nine starts, with two seconds and three thirds. He earned $972,659. His key efforts included a victory in the Golden State Million Futurity (G1) and third-place finishes in the All American Futurity (G1) and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1). He was trained by Eddie Willis and was ridden by Justine Klaiber, Jimmy Brooks and Cody Smith.

Supreme Race Horse Danjer was named the champion aged horse and champion aged gelding after a year that saw him win four of six starts and earn $326,061. The 4-year-old gelding, by FDD Dynasty and out of the Take Off Jess mare Shez Jess Toxic, was bred by Dean Frey and is owned by Frey, Downtime Enterprises LLC and Billy Smith. Danjer's Grade 1 wins include The Downs at Albuquerque Championship and the Bank of America Challenge Championship. He was trained by Dean Frey and ridden by Cody Smith.

The champion aged stallion is Eagles Fly Higher, a 4-year-old stallion by One Famous Eagle and out of the First Down Dash mare Lone Bet. Bred by V.H. Harman Jr. and Robert Moudy III, he is owned by Darling Farms, and won three of eight starts, with three additional placings and earnings of $209,973. He won the Sooner State Stakes (RG1), Eastex Stakes (G2) and Bank of America Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2), in addition to two additional Grade 1 placings. He was trained by Casey Black and Jaime Gomez, and was ridden by Mario Delgado, Cristian Esqueda, Agustin Silva and Jesus Ayala.

Michael Pohl and Martin Stacy's homebred Curls Happy Wagon is the champion aged mare. She won half of her six starts during the year, earning $145,822, and won the Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1), Las Damas Handicap (G2) and Decketta Stakes (G2). The 5-year-old mare is by PYC Paint Your Wagon and out of the Spit Curl Jess mare Eye A Spit Curl Girl. She was trained by Stacy Charette-Hill and Juan Aleman and ridden by Armando Cervantes and Jorge Torres.

Tell Cartel made the most starts of any champion during the year, winning half of his 10 starts, with three additional placings, and earning $717,751 while earning the titles of champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old colt. Racing for breeder and owner Martha Wells, the Favorite Cartel colt out of the Chicks Beduino mare Chicks Tell won the Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1), Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) and El Primero Del Ano Derby (G3), and he was second in the Champion of Champions (G1). He was trained by Matt Fales, and ridden by Ruben Lozano, Eduardo Nicasio and Jesus Ayala.

CERs Final Try honors the memory of his late breeder, Charles E. Robinson, as he is named the champion 3-year-old gelding. Racing for Christina Robinson, CERs Final Try won four of seven starts and earned three additional placings, earning $581,182. His achievements include a victory in the Rainbow Derby (G1) and placings in the Ruidoso Derby (G1) and All American Derby (G1). He is by One Dashing Eagle and out of the Corona Cartel mare BP Shes All Corona. He was trained by Tony Sedillo and ridden by Alfredo Sigala and Manuel Gutierrez.

The daughter of Apollitical Jess out of the First Down Dash mare Shesa First Ratify, Ratification is the champion 3-year-old filly. She races for her breeder Bobby D. Cox and won five of seven starts with one second-place finish and earned $327,308. She won the $315,739 Rainbow Oaks and $421,326 All American Oaks. She was trained by John Buchanan and Juan Vazquez, and was ridden by Francisco Calderon, Esgar Ramirez and Agustin Silva.

The 2014 gelding Madewell is honored as the 2020 champion distance horse. He is a homebred for Ray L. and Davy Madewell, and won four of seven starts, with two additional placings, and earnings of $102,618. He is sired by Jess Jones and out of the A Streak Of Cash mare Streakin Peacock. His wins include the Cox Ranch Distance Challenge Championship (G1) and the AQHA Downs at Albuquerque Distance Challenge (G2). He was trained by Bernard Baca, and ridden by Benito Baca, Jorge Bourdieu and Stormy Smith.

Freshman Eyesa Timber is the Canadian champion. Bred and raced by Wesley T. Oulton, the Alberta-bred gelding is by First Timber and out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Eyesa Perry. He began his year racing in the United States before returning home, where at Century Mile he won the Alberta-bred Futurity and Canada Cup Futurity (G3). He won four of seven starts, with two second-place finishes, and earned $56,491. The horse was trained by Wesley Oulton and Durk Peery, and ridden by J. Botello, Jose Rocha and Jose Vega.

Cuadra La Presita saw its homebred Juanito Y Danny win three of four starts, earning $152,310, to be named the Mexican champion. The 2018 gelding by Danny Cartel is out of the Ought To Be First mare Toles. He won the Subasta Selecta Futurity (RG3) and was third in the Garanones Futurity (RG3). The horse was trained by Ismael Ayala and ridden by Yair Daniel Baez, L. Vidana and Jose Angel Ambrosio.

The South American champion is Fantastic Fly Apollo, a 2017 colt racing for breeder Ademir Jose Rorato. The horse won six of eight starts, with two seconds, and earned $66,861. His wins include the Campeao Dos Campeoes, Brasil II Triplice Coroa and Sorocaba Futurity. He is by Fantastic Corona Jr and out of the Eyesa Special mare Flyapolloeyesa BR. He was trained by Rivail Rosa and ridden by B. Guimaraes and J. Santana.

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame horseman Bobby D. Cox earns his third champion breeder title, as his horses earned more than $2.4 million more than any other breeder. Included among them are world champion Whistle Stop Cafe and champion Ratification. California horsewoman Martha Wells saw her horses, which include champion Tell Cartel, win at a 14% clip, and she is named the champion owner. Trainer Eddie Willis earned his first nod as the Blane Schvaneveldt champion trainer, with earnings of more than $2.7 million in the year, including champion Apollitical Gold. James A. Flores is the champion jockey for the second consecutive year, with earnings of more than $3.5 million.

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New Mexico: Quarter Horse Trainer Fined $15,000, Suspended 1 1/2 Years For Clenbuterol Positive

Trainer Marco Flores was issued a 1 1/2-year suspension and a $15,000 fine by the New Mexico Racing Commission this week, according to a recent ruling posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International website. The penalties were handed down due to a positive post-race test for clenbuterol in Quarter Horse “Stand In The Sun,” following the mare's win in a Sunray Park allowance race on May 3, 2019.

Stand In The Sun has run 16 times under five different trainers, thrice under Flores' name but primarily (nine times) under the name of Jesus Soto. The mare raced under Soto's name on Feb. 1, 2019, with Soto listed as owner, then next appeared under Flores' name on May 3, 2019, with Julio Islas listed as owner. In her next start, she ran under the name of trainer Raul Vega on Dec. 15, 2019.

Flores is required to pay the $15,000 fine before Jan. 23, and his suspension will run from Jan. 1, 2021 through July 1, 2022. Flores' Quarter Horse training record includes 18 wins from 166 starts, though he has not had a starter since May 10, 2019. He was summarily suspended by the NMRC beginning May 11, 2019, for another Clenbuterol positive in the post-race test of “Bonafide Hero” on April 19, 2019 at Sunray.

Most recently, Stand In The Sun ran under the name of Jesus Soto as both owner and trainer, finishing eighth in an allowance race at Zia Park on Dec. 8, 2020. Soto's training record includes 88 Quarter Horse wins from 595 starts.

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Fiery Off-Track Quarter Horse Becomes Barrel Racing Star In Two Countries

She lit the board in her career as a racehorse, and now Biscuit De Feu is lighting the board as a barrel horse in two countries.

Biscuit De Feu–whose name is “fire cookie” in French–was bred in California by Bryan and Pamela Scheer, owned during her racing career by Jeannie Baldwin and saddled by champion trainer Kenneth Roberts in Louisiana.

The strapping 2013 brown mare has an unusual racing pedigree, as she is sired by First Down French, a son of one of barrel racing's all-time leading sires, Frenchmans Guy, out of a mare sired by A Classic Dash.

Her dam is High Tide, a daughter of champion runner Ocean Runaway and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame stallion Strawfly Special's daughter, Casual Slip Knot.

Biscuit De Feu's racing career was limited to two starts as a 2-year-old, including a solid second-place finish, when her connections decided it was time to move her into her new career.

Leanne Marie Sine of Dewinton, Alberta, was looking for something sired by First Down French, who was himself a successful barrel racing horse and sire, and she found Biscuit De Feu on Facebook and bought her.

“She caught my eye,” Sine said. “And then I really liked her bottom side, too.”

The mare, now known as “Ferrari,” moved to her new home in Alberta, and the barn of her owner, who is a professional trainer specializing in reining and barrel racing horses.

Sine's skill has paid off for the mare her owner describes as “an absolute little firecracker.”

The mare was racetrack broke when she arrived, and Leanne was prepared to be patient teaching the horse her new job.

“I took my time with her, went back to the basics and got her really broke,” Sine said. “I train reiners, too, so I put a really strong foundation on her. She's a real sensitive horse and a little bit hotter bred too, so lots of slow work and really took my time with her. I got her broke, broke, broke.”

Ferrari is a workaholic, and is saddled up on average six days a week – she doesn't like taking time off.

They travel to events in Alberta, as well as traveling to the United States to compete. Their first year they debuted in some smaller futurities and events, allowing Ferrari to learn and build confidence. In 2019, the first of her derby years, they began stepping up to bigger events, with placings and 1D wins, including a top 10 finish at the AQHA World Championship Show in Level 2 senior barrel racing.

“She's just full of herself, but a sweetheart to have around,” Sine said. “Just a personality.”

As for 2020, it's the final derby year for the mare and Sine had plans to campaign the mare, but, well, “This year … our plans have kinda got kiboshed.”

“This is her last derby year and I had some bigger stuff planned that we didn't get to do,” she said. “But hopefully (we'll get to) some bigger races and rodeos (when things start back up), we will see what she wants to do.”

This story, which is part of the Second Career Stars series, originally appeared on the American Quarter Horse News website and is republished here with permission. Second Career Stars is an ongoing series on retired racing American Quarter Horses in new careers. If you know of a horse that should be featured, write to acaudill@aqha.org. AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, “like” Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.

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Photo Raises Questions About Status Of Suspended Quarter Horse Trainer Ponce

A photograph captured by Track Magazine's Mark Herron after the Grade 1 Refrigerator Stakes at Lone Star Park on Oct. 25 raised questions about the status of suspended trainer Josue Ponce. The image, published in the print edition of the magazine and republished here with permission, shows winner Valiant Tiberias exiting the Grand Prairie, Texas, track's winner's circle after having his picture taken while sporting a lime green shadow roll and a matching black and lime green browband with “Ponce” stitched in the center. Valiant Tiberias ran the race with blinkers, and the browband became visible after their removal.

Ponce is currently serving a 365-day suspension delivered for a clenbuterol positive in Oklahoma this spring. A urine sample from runner Oh Fancy Go came back positive for clenbuterol after the horse won the sixth race at Remington Park April 25. Ponce appealed the summary suspension given to him after the positive without success. According to transcripts of a hearing before the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission earlier this year, his attorney raised doubt about the validity of that positive, arguing that Oh Fancy Go was negative for clenbuterol in pre-race hair testing April 11. His appeal of his summary suspension was denied, and stewards issued a 365-day suspension and a $10,000 fine for the positive.

Ponce has continued to fight the suspension, appealing the stewards' decision to the full commission at last month's meeting. The commission voted to uphold the stewards' ruling.

According to the program, 4-year-old Valiant Tiberias is trained by Alonso Neri. Neri has trained since 2016 but his statistics exploded this year when he went from 17 starters in 2019 to 298 this year, with stable earnings of $1.8 million and a win percentage of 28 percent.

When consulted about the photograph, a spokesman for the Texas Racing Commission would neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation was ongoing into the situation.

Neri is also listed as the trainer for I Am Valiant, winner of the G2 Dash for Cash Derby and Jordan Eagle, winner of the G2 TQHA Classic Stakes – both in 2020. Those two had previously been trained by Ponce.

Valiant Tiberias is owned by Sergio Holguin, Clifton Nielsen, and Felix Rodriguez. He was also the winner of this year's G2 Mr. Jet Moore, as well as last year's G1 Championship at Sunland Park and G3 AQHA Adequan Derby Challenge Championship at Ruidoso Downs.

Ponce was banned by Ruidoso in 2018 after sending out four winners in trial races for that year's All American Quarter Horse Derby. Track officials told the Paulick Report at the time that two of the four horses saddled by Ponce that day were vanned off the track after winning their trials, and the other two were “in distress” and required medical attention. Those horses later recovered.

“The decisions to exclude your further participation from racing at Ruidoso are due to the apparent inhumane treatment of the horses under your care,” read a letter written to Ponce from Jeff True, general manager of All American Ruidoso Downs LLC notifying him of his ban. “Horses under your care demonstrated that they were unfit to complete the race and return to the winners' enclosure reflecting a lack of conditioning or some other mistreatment which puts them and all other horses and jockeys competing with them at risk of catastrophic injury.

“(All American Ruidoso Downs) is taking this action to protect the horses and riders competing at its facility from negligence or mistreatment by trainers, grooms, jockeys, or others on its property or competing in races here. The racing public, track management, and regulatory authorities expect horses to be treated and raced under humane and safe conditions and the performance of your horses on Sunday, August 19^th, reflect negligence, a failure to prepare them adequately, or indicate some other improper treatment prior to the races.”

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