RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM-JANUARY 26, 2018-Tres Seis Nueve, a Grade 2-placed and Grade 1 finalist by leading sire Tres Seis was honored Thursday night (Jan. 25) by the New Mexico Horse Breeders' Association as the state's Leading Freshman Sire of 2017.

The NMHBA honored its 2017 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse champions during its Zia Awards Banquet at the Marriott Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque.

"We are very excited for Tres Seis Nueve," Sierra Blanca Equine owner Kim Saunders said today. "We have expected really big things from this stallion since seeing his first foals arrive three years ago."

Owned by Valle Guadiana Corp, Tres Seis Nueve stands at Saunders' Sierra Blanca Equine near Ruidoso Downs. His 2018 fee is $1,500.

From a limited number 10 starters in his first crop Tres Seis Nueve sired seven winners (70%) with average earnings per starter of more than $10,000. He was also the #9 Leading First Crop Sire of Money Earners in the Nation last year.

His top performers include Famous Corona Nueve SI 91 ($21,678), Brujito Nueve Si 91 ($20,340), Macarena Nueve SI 85 ($11,874), Slew By Nueve SI 85 ($10,750), Belladona Nueve SI 84 ($10,560), Zoom London Zoom SI 84 ($9,698), Vgc Adrian SI 82 ($8,024), etc.

Tres Seis Nueve won or placed in 14 of 20 career starts and earned $170,775. He was second in the Grade 2 Sunland Park Winter Derby, Grade 3 Hobbs America Derby, third in the Grade 3 KOFX-FM Radio Handicap and fourth in the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby. Trained by Juan Gonzalez, the 4-year-old was also a finalist in the Grade 2 West Texas Maturity.

His sire Tres Seis was named the 2001 AQHA Racing champion 2-year-old colt and earned $856,901 while winning the Golden State Million Futurity(G1) and finishing second in the All American Futurity(G1). He has sired 133 stakes horses in 14 crops to race with earnings of $22.6 million dollars including 4-time AQHA Racing Champion and All-Time leading money earner Ocoha SI 109 ($2,781,365), etc.

Tres Seis Nueve is out of the multiple stakes producing Chicks Beduino mare Ya Ya Sisterhood SI 99, dam of five ROM winners from four foals. She is also the dam of stakes-placed Oreo SI 93 ($24,721 to 5, 2013), RG1 finalist Yoyo SI 103 ($84,240) and Secrethood SI 97 ($17,911). Ya Ya Sisterhood is out of the champion Dash For Cash mare Stardust Dash SI 93 ($23,588), dam of AQHA Racing champion Prankster CF ($230,013), G2 winner Tricky Dust SI 110 ($428,581), stakes-winner Storm Chasor SI 99 ($238,460), stakes winner Grant The Star SI 101 ($110,823), etc.

For additional information or breeding contracts to Tres Seis Nueve call Kim Saunders 575-378-0043.