LARC NEWS Posted: 10/2/2022 3:15:53 AM

SWEET DASHA FIRE EARNS FIRST STAKES WIN, TAKES THE PCQHRA BREEDERS DERBY

          Valeriano Racing Stables’ outstanding season continued after Sweet Dasha Fire won the Grade 2, $137,000 PCQHRA Breeders Derby on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

          Bred by S-Quarter K LLC, Sweet Dasha Fire was purchased privately by Valeriano Racing earlier this year from her breeders and the filly has proven to be a fine acquisition. She was a solid fourth for her new owners in the $180,000 Governor’s Cup Derby on July 31 and then returned to win her trial to the PCQHRA Breeders Derby on September 10. Her winning effort in the final was all class, as the full sister to 2015 AQHA World Champion Heza Dasha Fire broke sharply from post number six, took the lead shortly after the start, and went on to score a ½ length victory as the 9-5 favorite.

Ridden by Cruz Mendez for trainer Jose Flores, Sweet Dasha Fire earned $53,340 for the win to take her career earnings to $159,065. This was the Washington-bred filly’s fourth win in 12 starts and the first stakes win of her career. She covered the 400 yards in :19.831.

For Valeriano Racing Stables, Sweet Dasha Fire’s stakes winning outing adds to their lofty accomplishments in 2021. The racing operation won the Grade 1 All American Derby and Grade 1 Rainbow Derby with A Pollitical Candy V and finished second in the Grade 1 All American Futurity with Sicario V. For the year, their horses have won 16 races and finished in the money in 37 of 58 starts for earnings of $1,487,919.

Howard Nichols’ Jess Being A Friend, the runner-up in last year’s Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, was fourth at the start but he accelerated from there to finish second. Ridden by Rodrigo Aceves for trainer Elena Andrade, Jess Being A Friend earned $21,590 for their second place finish. Trained by John Cooper for Barry Woodhouse, Insider Information broke alertly, challenged gamely, and crossed the wire in third. He earned $15,240 for running third. Sweet Tess and Corona Yo finished in a dead heat for fourth. Benevolent, Look Up, and Favorite Habit completed the field. Over Again was scratched.

OLD SCHOOL ICON WINS THE BLANE SCHVANEVELDT FOR MIMI WELLS

The late Mimi Wells would have been proud of her homebred Old School Icon’s performance in the $35,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap on Saturday at Los Alamitos. Ridden by Henry Reynoso Lopez and trained by Matt Fales, Old School Icon drifted in during the early going before taking command at the midway point and continuing to a head victory in the 400-yard race.

Wells, who passed away three weeks ago, loved winning the Blane Schvaneveldt last year with her homebred Chicks Fayvorite. Receiving the trophy from her longtime friend, Shirley Schvaneveldt, Mimi Wells expressed her admiration for the Schvaneveldt family. She would have surely been grinning from ear to ear on this night after making it back-to-back victories thanks to Old School Icon.

 Now racing for Wells Racing LLC, Old School Icon covered the 400 yards in :20.039. He earned $19,250 for the winning effort, which was just his third win in 29 career starts. The gelding by Texas Icon is a multiple stakes placed runner, as he was part of the trifecta in Tell Cartel’s win in the 2020 El Primero Del Año Derby. He was third in a stakes races at Turf Paradise earlier this year. Jerald and Lacie Davenport’s Boondarbian ran second and Edward and Von Zae McNelis’ My Game Plan finished third. Too Sass For You and Soul Sister completed the field.

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