Three-quarter siblings Noconi (photo) and Brenda Beautiful won the Grade 2 Hobbs America Derby and the Grade 2 Hobbs America Futurity, respectively, at Zia Park, Hobbs, NM, on October 12.

“I’ve never had a day like this, winning two stakes with horses out of the same mare,” said breeder and co-owner R.D. Hubbard, who will be inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in March 2009. Hubbard has campaigned more than 70 Quarter Horse stakes winners, including Hall of Fame inductee Denim N Diamonds and world champion Super Sound Charge.
       
Noconi and Brenda Beautiful are each out of the Dash For Cash mare My Dashing Lady, who also produced G1 stakes finalist Dejon. Noconi is by Mr Jess Perry while Brenda Beautiful was sired by the Mr Jess Perry son Feature Mr Jess. The stakes winners, co-owned with Hubbard by Johnny T.L. Jones, are trained by six-time national training champion Paul Jones.

Jones, who also saddled Flaming Corona, winner of the Hobbs America Juvenile earlier on the same day, could not recall winning multiple stakes on the same program with horses out of the same mare. “I don’t know that it’s ever happened,” he said.

Brenda Beautiful, the 8-5 favorite in the Hobbs America Futurity, finished off the board in her first two starts in May and June. But she came back to set the fastest 400-yard qualifying time of :19.186, as winner of the fifth of five Hobbs America Futurity trials.
       
Noconi, trained by  Ramon Sanchez, pulled away to win the 440-yard Derby by one-and-a-quarter lengths in :21.469. He will now ship to Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California to prepare for the $1 million Champion Of Champions on December 13.

A win over champion Heartswideopen in the $1 million All American Derby on August 31 earned Noconi a berth in the Champion of Champions. Winless in his first 10 starts, the gelded son of Mr Jess Perry has now won four consecutive races and over $730,000.