All American Derby Qualifier Callan Rocks in Ruidoso Sale - by Amy Owens

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (September 2, 2010) ‑ On Friday night, during the first session of the Ruidoso Select Yearling and Broodmare Sale, hip No. 17 is Callan Rocks, who on Sunday will race in the Grade 1, $1,548,076 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs.


The Corona Cartel filly, a full sister to All American Futurity finalist and world-record setting Corona Ease, was consigned to the sale months ago by owners R.D. Hubbard, Mike Bello, Bat Masterson and Butch Southway.


“The group of partners who are in on the filly are not necessarily breeders,” said Tom Goncharoff, who manages Hubbard's Crystal Springs Farm in Tularosa, New Mexico, which has consigned the filly as agent.


“The plan is to sell them at the end of their racing careers as broodmares,” he added about fillies Hubbard races in partnerships. “We were just planning for that eventuality. We think (the broodmare session of the Ruidoso sale is) a really good venue to sell a broodmare or broodmare prospect. That she happened to qualify for the All American Derby was serendipitous.”


Hubbard purchased Callan Rocks, who was bred in Texas by Evans & Evans and Burnett Ranches, for $55,000 at the 2008 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. She has won three of 11 races and has earned $11,481 for trainer Paul Jones.
“This is a good filly,” Goncharoff said about Callan Rocks, whose second dam, champion Dashing Phoebe, produced champion and All American Futurity winner Heartswideopen and champion Special Phoebe. “She's been knocking on the door and showing us a lot of talent. She just really had a super race in the trials.”


On August 20, Callan Rocks won the fifth of seven trials for the All American Derby by a neck over qualifier Shesa First Ratify and turned in the fourth-fastest qualifying time of :21.142.


On Friday, the filly will remain in Jones' barn while a video of her is shown at the sale. “We don't want to disrupt her routine,” Goncharoff said.


“It's a neat wrinkle,” he said about her inclusion in the sale. “It just kinda worked out that way. It generates buzz for the sale.”


Held at the Ruidoso Downs Sales Pavilion next to the racetrack, the sale covers three sessions that begin after the races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A total of 539 horses have been cataloged to the sale. The first 46 horses in the sale are broodmares and broodmare prospects.

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