Recorder may have been in fifth place the first time under the wire in the one-mile, $12,500 Nebraska HBPA Stallion Stakes.
He may have still been in fifth with 3/8ths of a mile left to go, but it still looked like he was in complete control.
Recorder, ridden by Jose Medina and trained by Isai Gonzalez, made his move down the backstretch, swept past the field and went on to a five-length win 1:42,60 Friday at Fonner Park.
Gonzalez wasn’t surprised with Recorder’s performance in the race restricted to offspring of stallions who sold a season at the 2023 Nebraska HBPA stallion service auction.
“We expected that,” Gonzalez said. “He ran well.”
Recorder, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Court Vision out of Sheeza Rounder, was a 4-5 morning-line favorite. He went to post as a 3-5 favorite.
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Gonzalez and GSH Stables claimed Recorder from local trainer Mark Lemburg for $5,000 early in the Fonner Park meet. At that point, Gonzalez said he wasn’t thinking about the Stallion Stakes at all.
“We just thought he was a good horse,” Gonzalez said. “Everything worked out.”
Gonzalez didn’t necessarily expect Recorder to be in fifth place much of the race, but he knew he wouldn’t be leading the pack.
“I knew there was some speed in the race,” Gonzalez said. “I knew he wouldn’t take the lead. We didn’t give the jockey any instructions. It’s just the way the race sets up.”
Recorder paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10. G’s Turn was second and paid $2.20 and $2.10 while Barstow paid $2.10 to show.
The win was worth $8,430 for GHS Stables. It was Recorder’s sixth win in 33 career starts and brought his lifetime winnings to $111,383.
Gonzalez said a mile might be the ideal distance for Recorder.
“I think so,” Gonzalez said. “When he won and had his best races, it was at a mile.”
Trainer Anderson
goes for another trifecta
On April 15, trainer David Anderson hit an unusual trifecta of sorts when his fillies went 1-2-3 in the Fonner Park Special Stakes, a race for 3-year-old Nebraska-bred fillies.
Now Anderson has those three fillies entered again in the second running of the $20,000 Kemling Family Stakes at Fonner Park.
Hank’s Gal, who is the morning-line favorite at 4-5 and will be ridden by Nathan Haar, won the Fonner Park Special Stakes. Jocote, who was second in the special stakes and is 2-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Jose Medina.
Shes Steel Dreamin, third in the special stakes, is 5-1 and will be ridden by Roberto Morales.
Judge Jennings (6-1), ridden by Ricardo Martinez and trained by Robert Hoffman, and Josies Score (8-1), ridden by Adrian Ramos and trained by Richard Bliss, round out the five-horse field.
Hoofprints
— Jockey Nathan Haar had two wins on Friday. Haar rode Dave to a win in the second race for trainer Robert Haar, and then won on Name the Price for trainer Dalton Dieter in the fifth.
— Medina and Gonzalez had a good day. After winning the opener, they also teamed up to win the third race with Subscription and the fourth with Red Red Wine. For Red Red Wine, it was her fifth win in eight career starts at Fonner.
— Three wins helped Gonzalez lengthen his lead in the trainer’s standings. He now leads the way with 45 wins while Mark Hibdon is second with 40.
— Medina closed in a bit on leading jockey Kevin Roman, who is riding at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, but plans to be back to ride at Fonner on Sunday. Roman has 56 wins while Medina now has 44.