February 4, 2012
Hialeah Laddie Futurity champion TF First Pick, owned by Donald Ray Jacobs, was the fastest of 10 qualifiers for the $100,000 South Florida Quarter Horse Derby out of the four trials run on Saturday at Hialeah Park.
TF First Pick (Dash To First Place – Pick Your Passion), trained by Ron Raper and ridden by Oscar Delgado, tallied by a solid length over outsider Feature My News, with race favorite Sizzling Gold another half-length back in third. They were the top three finishers in the fourth and final qualifier of the afternoon.
The first three qualifiers went to SRD Bobwire Bob (Coronas Prospect – Shouldabeenjoebob), under Delgado for trainer Henry Smith, Deer Oh Deer (Tres Seis – Adorable Deer), ridden by visiting Rodrigo Vallejo for trainer Rolando Almanza, and Color Stone (SC Chiseled Stone – Color Tip), under Victor Olivo for trainer Manuel Mata.
The top ten qualifiers for the February 19 South Florida Derby, in order by times, are: 1) TF First Pick (:21.571), 2) SRD Bobwirebob (:21.622), 3) Color Stone (:21.746), 4) Ima Gator Fan (:21.747), 5) Feature My News (:21.758), 6) Cash For Wagon Boss (:21.797), 7) Deer Oh Deer (:21.807), 8) Country Boy Deluxe (:21.862), 9) Sizzling Gold (:21.863), and 10) Volcom Jr (:21.873).
Of the 23 non-qualifiers, there were two notables. Hialeah Lassie Futurity winner Shes Jess Dynamite saw her four-race winning streak, which included a pair of wins at this meet, snapped after a disappointing fifth-place finish in the trial won by SRD Bobwirebob. Additionally, Biscayne and Miami-Dade County Stakes winner Logans Dash failed to qualify after finishing fifth in the TF First Pick trial.
The total mutuel handle for the 25th day of the 2011-2012 Quarter Horse season was $189,971 with a crowd estimated at 2,600 on hand to witness the nine-race live program.
Live racing resumes at Hialeah Park on Sunday, February 5, with a 10-race program scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. ET start. The card includes $20,000 Sawgrass Stakes and the $20,000 Key West Challenge, featuring Skyline Lover, at 1000 yards.
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