October 29, 2009 - What can you do with a racehorse that tells you he is not ready for retirement? In the case of 10-year-old Santispac, you bring him back for a chance to show the country that some champions are simply ageless.
Owner and trainer Danny Montes, 30, will saddle the intrepid California-bred gelding in Saturday’s $75,000 AQHA Fort Dodge Starter Allowance Championship, which will run as the final race of the Bank of America Racing Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos Race Course. The race gives horses that have competed for a claiming price of $5,000 or less in the past year an opportunity to showcase their talent in the national racing event.
A resident of Mira Loma, California, Montes reflected on what makes Santispac keep his desire and winning ways as he approaches his 64th career start in the Fort Dodge Challenge.
“He’s a special horse with a big heart,” Montes said. “In 2007, we decided it was time to retire him, but it didn’t work out. He was miserable; he stood in the corner of the pasture with his head down. So after seven months, we brought him back to the barn. He was so happy, he bucked and kicked and won his first race back. That’s when we knew he wasn’t ready for retirement.”
The cagey veteran will break from post 10 under rider Noe Garcia. He will have to contend with 4-year-old Willie Swings, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, who will represent California, and Victorys Wicked Lad, who qualified at Arapahoe Park in Colorado.
There are few supporters more vocal in their praise of the Bank of America Racing Challenge than trainer K.C. Carden. Since 1993, more than $52 million has been distributed to breeders and owners of racing American Quarter Horses. Carden gears up each year for the Challenge, shipping his horses to Oklahoma, Louisiana, Minnesota and Canada. Carden, who owns a ranch at Elgin, Texas, enjoys traveling across the country each summer and bringing regional winners to the final each year.
He is currently the leading Vetrolin Champion Challenge trainer with 158 points and will receive $5,000 cash, a Tex-Tan saddle, a custom buckle from Montana Silversmiths and product from Vetrolin.
Carden’s qualifier for the Fort Dodge Starter Allowance Championship is the 9-year-old Strike Light, owned by S Bar S of Elgin. He will be seeking his 11th win on Saturday evening.
The Bank of America Racing Challenge began in 1993 and since that time has distributed more than $52 million to breeders and owners of racing American Quarter Horses. 2009 marks the 17th year of the program with 71 regional, championship and undercard races. There is $5 million in total purses and awards for 2009, thanks to corporate partners, host tracks, horsemen and the Bank of America Racing Challenge Purse Fund.
The Bank of America Racing Challenge was created to increase racing opportunities for older racing American Quarter Horses, but the benefit of nominating is often seen in the sale ring where Challenge-enrolled horses have historically brought more money. The Bank of America Racing Challenge is the richest and most successful program in American Quarter Horse racing today – a championship series developed for the “World’s Fastest Horse.”
The Bank of America Racing Challenge will culminate with the six Challenge Championship races and six undercard Challenge stakes races on Saturday, October 31, at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. To learn more about the Bank of America Racing Challenge, visit racing.aqha.com/racing/challenge/index.aspx.
By Martha Claussen