Just an hour after Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird was upset to finish third in the $1 million Belmont Stakes, his co-owner’s Quarter Horses, Time For A Cigar and Shaboomato, finished first and second in the $308,073 Ruidoso Derby in New Mexico.
“I was disappointed after the Belmont,” said Jerry Nicodemus, Double Eagle Ranch’s manager and a retired AQHA Hall of Fame jockey. “But this really picked me up, finishing first and second.”
It was the third consecutive victory for Time For A Cigar, who covered the 400 yards in :19.803 to win by 1 1/2 lengths under jockey Mark Anthony Villa. Both Time For A Cigar and Shaboomator are trained by Tony Sedillo and were purchased by Mike Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch for a total of $60,000. They earned a combined $203,456 in the Ruidoso Derby; Mine That Bird claimed $100,000 for third place in the Belmont.
Brenda Beautiful, the 7-10 favorite in the Ruidoso Derby, finished fourth.
“She’s fine,” said the former 2-year-old champion filly’s trainer, Paul Jones. “She just got pushed out to about the 12 hole and jumped the shadows.”
Shaboomator, who returned from an eight-month layoff to finish fourth in his Ruidoso Derby trial and one win from eight career starts, was sent off at odds of 29-1.
Mine That Bird, owned by Allen and Buena Suerte Equine of Roswell, NM, made a strong move four-wide in the final turn of the Belmont Stakes to take command of the lead coming into midstretch, where he was overtaken by Summer Bird. Dunkirk finished second by 2 3/4 lengths with Mine That Bird a neck back.
Summer Bird was sent off at 12-1 under Kent Desormeaux for trainer Tim Ice. The Birdstone son is owned by Jayaraman, Kalarikkal and Vilasini.