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Double Down Special Wins Ruidoso Derby
Vanessa Bartoo’s Double Down Special backed up his world-record speed with a professional victory as the odds-on favorite in the record-smashing Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday afternoon.
The $568,965 Ruidoso Derby purse easily surpassed the previous record of $388,276 offered in the 2008 running. Double Down Special earned $284,482, more than the total purse for all by two runnings of the Ruidoso Derby.
The 400-yard world-record holder, Double Down Special scored his fourth-straight win and fifth win in his latest six starts while winning the Ruidoso Derby.
The gelding by The Down Side raced the 400 yards in :19.642 while facing a gusting 25 mile per hour headwind with Salvador Martinez aboard.
Double Down Special burst to a clean start from the starting gate and that was all he needed before rolling the neck win over long shot Swingin Daddyo. Sir Seth was another three quarters of a length back for third place.
“When he breaks (from the gate) like that it’s over,” said Martinez. “I looked to the inside and he was gone.”
Double Down Special rose to national prominence for trainer John Stinebaugh at Sunland Park this winter and his Ruidoso Derby effort affirmed his position as a force in the sport’s 3-year-old division.
After finishing a very close second in the Grade 2, $224,000 Sunland Winter Futurity, he has now won four straight races.
On April 3, he set the 400-yard world record of :18.613 while winning the West Texas Derby over the very fast Sunland Park racing strip. He supported that performance by setting the fastest-qualifying time of :19.246 while winning his Ruidoso Derby trial by a dominating one-and-three-quarter lengths.
It challenges trainers to keep a racehorse sharp over many months of training, but Stinebaugh holds the key with Double Down Special. “He’s easy to train. We just let him down and get him up for his races,” he said.
Stinebaugh indicated that Double Down Special could return in the trials to the Grade 1, $800,000 (est.) Rainbow Derby on July 9. “We’ll see how he comes out, but we really have our eye on the end of the summer,” said Stinebaugh, referring to the Grade 1, $1,500,000 (est.) All American Derby ‑ the richest quarter horse derby of 2010 ‑ on September 5. Double Down Special’s owner Bartoo would need to pay supplemental fees to enter either the Rainbow Derby trials or All American Derby trials.
The All American, Rainbow and Ruidoso derbies are three of the four richest quarter horse derbies run this year.
Debra Gotovac’s Swingin Daddyo, a 21-1 longshot, ran a game race from the inside post position under Cody Wainscott. Trainer Bradley Bolen has extensively campaigned the gelding at different tracks and the runner-up finish in the Ruidoso Derby is his highest stakes performance. He was third in the $100,000 Hialeah Laddie Futurity in Florida and he qualified for last summer’s All American Futurity. He also raced in takes competition at Lone Star Park near Dallas and Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
Rodney Christiansen’s Sir Seth was third in the 2009 Ruidoso Futurity for trainer Blane Wood. The First Down Dash son has won five of his seven starts to go with his thirds in the Ruidoso futurity and derby.
The complete order of finish in the Ruidoso Derby is Double Down Special, Swingin Daddyo, Sir Seth, Smokey Stone, CD Frontier Justice, Kuhl Little Man, Jess So Sixy, Hott Feett, Runaway Stoli and Stepenos.
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For more information, please contact rweber@RaceRuidoso.com .
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