Jm Country Man, a winner of two straight races and a stakes winner last fall at the Downs at Albuquerque, has been installed as the 5-to-2 morning line favorite for the $30,000 Animas Quarter Horse Stakes, the opening day featured race Friday at SunRay Park and Casino.
Owned by J and M Racing and Farm, Jm Country Man has earned more than $129,000, the majority of those earnings arriving when the Arkansas-bred gelded son of Mr Jess Perry scored an upset victory last September in the La Fiesta Stakes. Now residing in the barn of trainer Cynthia Gonzalez, Jm Country Man is scheduled to be ridden by Mauro Salcedo.
Most recently, Jm Country Man made his 3-year-old debut on February 3, defeating open allowance company at Sunland Park. He is drawn in post position 5 in the Animas, which will go as the eighth race on a 9-race program that has a first post time of 3 p.m. (MTN).
JM COUNTRY MAN, shown here winning the La Fiesta Stakes last September at Albuquerque Downs, is the morning line favorite for Friday's Animas Stakes at SunRay Park and Casino. (Coady Photography)
The Animas, which will be run at a distance of 400 yards, is restricted to 3-year-old and has a scheduled post time of 5:48 p.m.
In addition to sending out the morning line favorite for the Animas, Gonzalez will also be saddling Go Daddy Gone and Jm Billy The Kid.
From a handicapping standpoint, Jm Country Man is one of several contenders in the opening day stakes, which features a full field of 10 runners.
Mahoney N Tacklebery, a stakes winner in his own right and stakes placed at various tracks across the region, is an earner of more than $114,000. The Utah-bred son of Favorite Cartel is listed at 6-to-1 on the morning line and is drawn immediately to the inside of the favorite.
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Owned by Ben Peterson, Mahoney N Tacklebery won the Western State Breeders Futurity at the Central Wyoming Fair last September at Sweetwater Downs in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Since shipping to New Mexico late last year, he has scored one win from four starts, with a pair of off-the-board finishes against stakes company at both Zia Park and Sunland Park.
Mahoney N Tacklebery is scheduled to be ridden by Alfredo Sigala.
ATTACK THE WIND, shown here winning the Golden State Juvenile Invitational last October at Los Alamitos. (Scott Martinez)
Attack The Wind is looking for his second career stakes win and first since arriving to the Land of Enchantment.
The California-bred son of Walk Thru Fire won the Golden State Juvenile Invitational last October at Los Alamitos in Cypress, California.
An earner of nearly $29,000, Attack The Wind races for owner Cesar Nunez and trainer Frankie Martinez. He has raced twice in New Mexico, most recently finishing off the board in the West Texas Derby at Sunland Park on April 1.
Trainer Wes Giles, one of the top quarter horse trainers in the country, will send out a pair of runners in the Animas, including Just a Little Wagon, the 7-to-2 second choice on the morning line.
Owned by Jill Giles and Ezra Lee, Just a Little Wagon broke his maiden last time out at Sunland Park in his seventh career start. The New Mexico-bred son of Pyc Paint Your Wagon was beaten less than two lengths by Jm Country Man in the La Fiesta Stakes at Albuquerque last fall.
Just a Little Wagon is scheduled to be ridden by Daniel Amaya.
Giles will also be well represented in the Animas by Dash Ta Desirio, a three-time winner and earner of more than $55,000 for owner Darian Burt.
The Utah-bred son of Desirio finished fourth in the La Fiesta Stakes last fall before off the board performances in two stakes races at Sunland Park.
Dash Ta Desirio is scheduled to have jockey Raul Herrera in the irons.
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