Edited press release
Joe Allen’s Peppers Pride has entered a six-furlong allowance race at Zia Park on Saturday afternoon in her attempt to set the record for consecutive wins.
The Joel Marr-trained Peppers Pride has won each of her 16 career wins and shares the record for consecutive wins with Triple Crown winner Citation, two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, Santa Anita Derby winner Mister Frisky and the Louisiana-bred sprinter Hallowed Dreams.
“She’s doing well,” said Marr. “She hasn’t raced since April, but has had two works.” The daughter of Desert God won the Foutz Distaff Handicap at SunRay Park on April 26. She has remained in training since that win in Marr’s stable.
Peppers Pride was scheduled to make her record attempt on two occasions this summer at Ruidoso Downs. She was slated to run in the Lincoln Handicap on July 27 but that racing card was cancelled after the remnants of Hurricane Dolly damaged Ruidoso Downs. The Lincoln Handicap was rescheduled for August 31, Peppers Pride was entered and then Marr elected to scratch her due to an off track. She has only raced on fast racing surfaces.
This means that Marr has twice prepared to race and then the 5-year-old mare has not competed, not the optimal training regimen for a racehorse. “It probably has had an effect and we’ll find out Saturday,” Marr said. “But, she has been training well.”
Peppers Pride has raced at Zia Park each of the last three years and is five-for-five over the Hobbs oval.
As a 2-year-old in 2005, Peppers Pride impressed when she made a four-wide rally on the turn to win the New Mexico Classic Cup Juvenile Fillies, the premier race for two-year-old females during New Mexico Cup day.
In each of the past two years, Marr used an allowance race as a prep race for Peppers Pride before the New Mexico Cup program. That is the same strategy he is using this year.
In 2006, Peppers Pride was nearly defeated when she won her prep allowance race by a nose with a late run. She then won the New Mexico Cup Championship for Fillies by a length as the 11-10 favorite.
Last year, when the winning streak was gaining national attention, she won her 12th straight race with a seven-length allowance win at six furlongs and then captured the New Mexico Cup Championship for Fillies and Mares with a late rally to win by one-and-a-half lengths.
Peppers Pride will point to the New Mexico Cup Championship for Fillies and Mares after Saturday’s allowance race, providing she comes out of the allowance race in good order. New Mexico Cup day is November 9 and the $2 million in purses makes that program the richest day for any state-bred racing program.
