Crowd Of 6,000 On Hand For Season Opener At Hialeah Park
Dec 14th, 11
Crowd Of 6,000 On Hand For Season Opener At Hialeah Park.
HIALEAH, FL—DECEMBER 10, 2011—Iconic Hialeah Park, South Florida’s national historical landmark racing palace, kicked off its much-anticipated third season of Quarter Horse racing in front of an estimated crowd of 6,000 on a balmy Saturday afternoon in Miami.

The fans witnessed veteran Skyline Lover set a new Hialeah Park record for 550 yards while winning the Orange Blossom Stakes.

Winning trainer Matt Frazier and Jockey Shanley Jackson
accepting the Orange Blossom Stakes trophy.
The five-year-old Feature Mr Jess gelding, sent off at 2-1, recorded his 12th lifetime victory while stopping the timer in a track record :26.673. That time shaved 0.67 seconds off the time clocked by Patriots Special on January 31, 2010.
Bred in Texas by James G. Burgess, MD, Skyline Lover earned $16,500 for today's effort, pushing his career total to $243,638. He is out of the Rare Form mare Regally Rare.
Coming off a victory in the OQHRA Fall Classic Stakes at Will Rogers Downs, Hawkinson Time ended a four race win streak when Skyline Lover out nodded him at the wire. Alonzo Aloya owns and trains the Hawkinson gelding out of Summertime High by On A High. Bred in California by J. Azevedo and C. Boyles, the 5-year-old earned $5,500, putting his career total over $83,000.
My Corona Memories finished two lengths off the leaders in third for owner Debra Gotavac and trainer Bradley Bolen. The Corona For Me gelding, ridden by Cody Wainscott, earned $2,750. Fletcher Huskey bred him in Texas from the Leaving Memories mare Good Ole Memories.
Completing the field were OSU Cowboy Attitude, The Star Alert, Flyin Fish, Jess Cashin In, Ld Streakin Bye, Kudos For Quick Dash and Jess Fischin.
Sunshine State Stakes
In the 3rd running of the $20,000-added Sunshine State Stakes, trainer Jackie Kirby saddled his second stakes winner of the day as Doctor Onaka (12-1) battled between horses under jockey Bill Ives to score over Marys Corazon and Kt Makin A Tax Move.

Doctor Onaka (inside) defeating Marys Corazon (#4)
and Kt Makin A Tax Move (#8) in the Sunshine Stakes
at Hialeah Park.
Doctor Onaka, named after the noted California Quarter Horse handicapper Les Onaka, covered the abbreviated race distance of 220 yards in :11.855. The winner's purse of $13,500 moved the Sean Roy 4-year-olds earnings mark to $71,581. Jeffery and Angela Dan bred Doctor Onoka in Oklahoma from the Mind Game mare, Mind All Mind.Coming off a third place effort in the Hoosier Park Derby on October 22nd, Marys Corazon just missed at the wire. The Azoom filly, out of Streakin O Toole by Jody O Toole, earned $4,500 for owner's Ramon Escamilla and Jorge Mendoza. Also trained by Mendoza, the brown miss was ridden by Jose Beltran.

Winning trainer Jackie Kirby and jockey William Ives
accepting the Sunshine State Stakes trophy on Saturday
afternoon at Hialeah Park.
All American Congress Derby winner Kt Makin A Tax Move finished another neck back in third. The Makinmoves gelding races for Gustavo Campos Flores and is trained by Victor Gonzalez. Victor Olivo was board, earning $2,475.Completing the field were One Tough Dude, Oklahoma Bandido, Stone Cottrell, Fortune Royale, Fity Cent and Catchmesmokin.
The total mutuel handle for opening day of the 2011-2012 Quarter Horse season was $191,062.
Thank you to Coady Photography and Stallionesearch
