VERTICAL VISION AFTER FIRST STAKES WIN

The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, December17, 2009 – Vertical Vision, who has placed against Grade 1 stakes competition, is well spotted for his first stakes win in the $100,000-added Hialeah Derby on Saturday afternoon at Hialeah Park.

Owned by Brian Muse’s Blurred Vision Partnership, Vertical Vision (Visionarian-Vertical Horizon by Strawfly Special) showed his class at age 2 with a close third-place run in the Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park, then finishing third behind champion Brenda Beautiful in the $305,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park.

Trainer Brian Muse might have Vertical Vision back in that top form for the first running of the Hialeah Derby. He raced to his second 2009 win from six starts when he won his derby trial by a neck over third-fastest qualifier Plain Shady (Easy Winning Jet-A Shady Investment by Foolish Investment). Vertical Vision set the fastest-qualifying time of :21.735 for the 440 yards.

Reneta Alvfares Santos’ Sixes Sign (Streakin Sixes-Katies Sign by Vital Sign) also stepped forward in his trial with a daylight time of :21.738, narrowly missing top-qualifier honors. The Reimar Cabrera-trained colt scored his second career victory in his fifth start.

National training champion Paul Jones is in his usual position of having multiple finalists. He has three qualifiers, headed by fifth-fastest qualifier RC Mezoom (Shazoom-Dashing Chanel by Dash For Cash). RC Mezoom was second in the Manor Downs Derby (G3) this spring, qualified for the Bayer Legend Texas Derby Challenge (G3) last summer and won his Hialeah Derby trial by a neck after a troubled start.

Jones is also represented by Far West Futurity winner SC Captivator (Oak Tree Special-Oh Bobbette by First Down Dash) and the superbly bred Little Surfer (First Down Dash-Runaway Wave by Runaway Winner), a Grade 2 qualifier and brother to world champion Wave Carver and champion Ocean Runaway.

Fans can watch live racing at Hialeah Park and many other tracks throughout the year by subscribing to Q-Racing Video. Subscribers have unlimited live access to almost every American Quarter Horse simulcasting signal in the United States, plus unlimited access to archived race video. For more information, visit aqharacing.com.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.

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