NEWS
Miss Set N Bull launches racing at Zia Park with win in first race
Posted: Friday, September 23, 2005
Miss Set N Bull led at every call under jockey Alfredo Juarez Jr. for a one-length victory in the inaugural race at Zia Park in Hobbs New Mexico, a town of approximately 30,000 people near the West Texas border.The three-year-old bay filly rushed right to the lead from the rail in the 5 1/2-furlong allowance race for fillies and mares three years old and older.
Miss Set N Bull towed five rivals through an opening quarter in a blistering :21.40 and a half-mile in :44.20 as the 3-to-2 favorite. She increased her advantage en route to the wire to win the first race in the history of Zia Park for owners Bobby McQueen, Davis Moore, and Bobby Yates. Runner-up Hit On Ice contested the victor throughout and dug in determinedly to fend off Afforce of Course by a half-length for second.
The triumph was the second in three career starts for the Todd Fincher-trained daughter of In Excessive Bull, who was unraced as a juvenile.
Miss Set N Bull completed 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.40 to establish the Zia Park track record for that distance.
Bred in New Mexico by Frank Parr, Angel Parr, and W. L. Mooring, Miss Set N Bull is out of the High Brite mare Set Stats and has earned $16,980.
In the feature race on the card, the $56,700 Premier Stakes, Lorenzon outdueled runner-up Dangerous Devon to post a half-length victory in the six furlong sprint for three-year-olds and older that marked the first ever stakes race at Zia Park.
Dangerous Devon challenged Lorenzon for the lead throughout as the duo battled through a half-mile in :46.60. Jockey Joe Martinez called upon the four-year-old Carson City colt in the stretch and Lorenzon finished determinedly to prevail.
Lorenzon, owned by William and Bill Laursen, picked up his fourth win in seven starts this year as well as his first stakes victory. The final time for six furlongs was 1:10.80 and established a track record for six furlongs.
Zia Park, named after the cross-like symbol on New Mexico's state flag, is expected to draw fans from both Texas and New Mexico. There are approximately 700,000 people located within 100 miles of the track.
The track's 1,500 stalls are filled and some applicants had to be turned away, while the clubhouse's 800 seats are sold out for the entire season. Zia Park's opening weekend will be highlighted by the $50,000 Premier Stakes, a six-furlong Thoroughbred event for three-year-olds and older.
Zia Park will offer 43 days of racing with average daily purses of $220,000 for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. The track will race Friday through Monday from September 23 through December 4.
Please see charts courtesy of Equibase at
http://www.equibase.com.
