by Greg Thompson, Stallionesearch.com

RUIDOSO, NM—AUGUST 18, 2016—When Heritage Place Futurity(G1) winner Duponte makes his way to the paddock on Friday for the 15th race of day 1 of the All American Futurity(G1) trials, he will be carrying with him the hopes and dreams of a jockey-trainer-owner combination all in their early twenty’s.

Twenty-three year old jockey Francisco Ramirez, Jr. will be getting a leg up aboard Duponte from his trainer, twenty-one year old Josue Ponce, while twenty-three year old owner Kristen Paredes nervously watches as the G1 winner attempts to qualify into the Labor Day classic. All three of the connections realize the magnitude of what it at stake; all three of them realize they are experiencing a level of success that is a rarity to someone in their early twenties.

The 23-Year-Old Owner

Kristen Paredes comes from a family steeped in racing. Her father Edmar Paredes, and mother Belinda have been running Quarter Horses for over twenty-years. When Kristen’s brother, Edmar Jr., was diagnosed with Leukemia, and fought to overcome the cancer, it was Kristen who urged the family to continue in the racing business that she had grown to love.

Her passion for Quarter Horse racing is immense, as she openly admits getting chills just talking about the magnitude of racing that Duponte has taken her family into.

"It is an amazing ride that my family has been on in the last two years, " said Paredes. "Two years ago my brother was in a hospital bed fighting for his life, and to now have him healthy enough to be going into his freshmen year at Texas A&M this upcoming fall is nothing short of a blessing. And to now have the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) winner going towards the All American Futurity(G1) trials as one of the horses to beat is so surreal. You hear about these stories in racing happening to other individuals, but to have this happening to us is just so surreal. "

At the 2015 TQHA Yearling sale in San Antonio, Texas, her father Edmar and herself went looking for yearlings, but had a certain budget they had decided on prior to going to the sale. After studying the pedigrees in the catalog, and viewing the confirmation of multiple yearlings in San Antonio last summer, their eyes were set upon a Dominyun colt by the name of Revolution, as well as a sorrel colt by American Runaway by the name of Duponte; the latter being from the Bobby D. Cox consignment.

"We purchased Revolution the first day of the sale at $7,000, " said Kristen Paredes. "My dad and I were both very high on Duponte, who sold on the second day of the sale. We had concerns that he was good enough of an individual that he would be outside of our designated budget. He was just a yearling we liked so much, and we went for it. He has been such a worthwhile purchase at $6,700. "

From the sale, Duponte was sent to trainer Joe Garza to be broken, and be made track-ready for trainer Josue Ponce.

The 21-Year-Old Trainer

Trainer Josue Ponce has had major influences throughout his life in the field of horse racing, and it is certainly an indication of why he has chosen the path of a career in racing horse training. Since he was a child, his father Carlos has had horses in Mexico, as well as having a plethora of family in the racing business.

His uncle Abel Flores had some nice runners in the past, and Josue's cousin, jockey Damian Martinez, was the pilot aboard JRC Callas First’s run that saw him become AQHA Racing World Champion in 2014. Josue’s (pronounced Joe’s-Way) early success in training caught the eyes of the Paredes family, and that partnership of owner-trainer is what has led him to capture his first Grade 1 win in a $1 Million futurity with Duponte at age of twenty-one.

"I had trained several horses that were running up against horses in Texas owned by the Paredes family, and luckily for me those horses I trained were outperforming theirs at the time, " said Ponce. "I was approached by them, and asked if I would like to start training some of their horses, and of course I jumped at the chance. I have only been training horses now for three years now, and I realize my good fortune I am experiencing in racing thus far. "

Ponce received Duponte from Garza, and would eventually work the horse twice against older horses to test the resolve of the TQHA sales graduate.

"We worked him twice at Retama Park prior to taking him to Louisiana Downs for the Harrah’s Futurity trials(G1), " said Ponce. "He outworked two older horses that were winners in the claiming ranks, and for a green two-year old to outbreak them from the gates was an indication of what kind of horse we had. "

Ponce trained the horse off the track near his home in Natalia, Texas. Ponce, who gets on all of his horses to gallop, was eager to get his American Runaway trainee over to Louisiana Downs to contest the trials of the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G3) in early March. The services of jockey Francisco Ramirez, Jr. were called on for the qualification of the grade 3 futurity in Bossier City, Louisiana.

The 23-Year-Old Jockey

To say jockey Francisco Ramirez, Jr. was born into horse racing would be an understatement to say the least. Francisco, who is affectionately known around the racetrack and his family as Bu Bu (a nickname given by his sister Tonya as a baby that has stuck), hails from the Ramirez-family that is chalk full of race riders.

He is a cousin to top race-riders Raul Ramirez, Jr., J.R. Ramirez, and recently retired Saul Ramirez. His father, Francisco Sr. rode for two-years in Texas, but couldn't maintain weight in order to keep race riding.

Francisco, Jr. began race riding as a nine-year-old on the match races in Texas. He grew up watching the success of his racing-famous kin, as J.R. and Saul hit pay dirt in California with multiple grade 1 winning scores, while Raul, Jr. won major stakes events in Texas and Louisiana.

"I would have to give the credit of teaching how to ride to my father," said Francisco Ramirez, Jr. "My cousins helped fine-tune me into the race-rider that I am today. I also have to credit the late Jacky Martin. He is who I idolized in the saddle."

Many around the racetrack, including the writer of this article, feel that Ramirez is perhaps one of a handful of the more talented race riders coming up the ranks. His ability to race ride has been matched with his propensity to find trouble in his personal life in the early part of his career. The early turmoil has led to some lengthy suspensions for substance-abuse infractions in his career as a jockey.

"It is something that I have had to overcome since beginning my riding career," said Ramirez. "I have been riding a while now, but I have had to sit out multiple years because of the violations I have had in my career. It has cost me the mounts on horses like Kiss My Hocks, and Lovethewayyoulie in the past. It is something that I have had to work at, and I am very happy to be here today on the straight and narrow.

I am also expecting my first child with my fiancé Mandy in November, so things have been going very well for me and with Duponte running as well as he has, things are going great."

Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G3)

Francisco was asked to work Duponte prior to the start in the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G3) trials. In the trials, Duponte broke tardily, and ran green throughout the stretch, but managed to qualify as the tenth-fastest qualifier in the 300-yard event.

As with just about any horse, trainers discuss how it takes some time in order to figure out what work method of training, and hauling works properly for each horse.

"I feel like Duponte had a valid excuse in his first start in the trials for the Harrah's," said Ponce. "We hauled him in the day before to Louisiana Downs, and what should have been only a three-hour haul turned into an eight-hour ordeal with unexpected traffic. We took him back to Natalia, Texas after the trials, but got him back to Bossier City days before the finals of the Harrah's Futurity(G1). He is really just a laid back horse that does just about all that you want him to do, and it was just a matter of figuring him out."

The Duponte team certainly seemed to have figured the American Runaway colt out, as he cruised to a early lead and never looked back to capture the Harrah's Futurity(G1) by almost a length under Francisco Ramirez, Jr. The colt reward his owners with a hefty payday of $120,465 on their initial $6,700 investment in him.

"When I first rode him in his works at Retama Park he just felt like a normal, green two year old with talent," said Ramirez. "In his trial race for the Harrah's, he was just a laid back two-year old that kind of ran green, but just fast enough to get into qualify. In the post-parade for the finals, I decided to warm him up aggressively before getting him to the gates, and he got in the stall of the starting gate focused and ready to fire out of there. He was a changed individual after that, and ran a tremendous race in Louisiana."

Heritage Place Futurity(G1)

After the Ponce trained Duponte recovered from his win in the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G3) in Louisiana, it was decided that the horse would go north to Remington to contest the trials for $1 Million Heritage Place Futurity(G1).

"Joe Garza is a trusted friend of our family and he was the one who urged my father to supplement him into the Heritage Place Futurity(G1)," said Paredes. "Joe was very high on this horse from the very beginning, and would tell us how this is a special horse when he began breaking and training him. After he saw the horse run his race in the Harrah's Futurity, he told my father that this horse can go up and compete with that level of horses in the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) and therefore we decided to supplement him."

In the trials, Duponte drew into the same race as Brian Muse trainee B Double U. At the break, Duponte again broke tardily and a bit outward to brush with the outside horse. Muse trained B Double U was clear of Duponte by almost a length and a half in the first 100 yards under jockey Cody Jensen. Even with the unpunctual beginning of the race for Duponte, and his 'green', erratic weaving pursuit of the eventual winner of the trial, Duponte made up significant ground in the trial to qualify into the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) as the ninety-fastest qualifier.

"He came out of the trials in such good shape," said Ponce. "We had him up at Remington, so there was no worries about him not getting settled into his surrounding before the finals. He had never seen the lights of Remington at night, so I had schooled him twice to prepare for the finals. He was eating good, and training good going into the Heritage Place Futurity(G1)."

As track announcer Dale Day sent the field on their way in the $1 Million futurity, it was apparent early on that Duponte was running a race similar to the triumphant run in the Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G1).

"I again had warmed him up aggressively prior to the running of the Heritage Place Futurity(G1)," said Ramirez. "In the gates he was so focused, and ready when the starter let us go. By the third jump out of the gate I actually didn't see another horse. I was flagging him with my stick, and hollering at him the whole way down the lane to keep his mind on running. It was my biggest win in my career thus far, and bringing him back to the winners circle was an emotional experience to reflect on the accomplishment that had just happened."

The twenty-one year old trainer also admitted to an overwhelming wave of emotion after the win in the $1 Million Heritage Place Futurity(G1).

"I was in the winners circle watching the race on the big-screen in the infield of Remington Park," said Ponce. "I don't believe I actually watch the last fifty-yards of the race. By then, we knew we had won the race and we were already celebrating and congratulating each other. The weight of the accomplishment of winning a $1 million futurity at twenty-one was such a huge accomplishment. I thought about how some trainers have been training their whole careers with the hope of winning something of that magnitude, and to win it at such a young age just makes me feel very blessed."

Go West To Ruidoso

From the beginning of his initial training, Duponte has garnered attention as a standout individual. At Joe Garza's ranch during his initial breaking, and groundwork training, the Paredes family received and declined three offers to sell the American Runaway colt.

When he began his early training, the TQHA Sales Futurity was also on the owner's radar as a potential avenue to point towards in the two-year old campaign. When the success of this colt began to roll in, the statement was made by Kristen Paredes' father, Edmar, of the path the sophomore would take if he ran well enough in the futurity in Oklahoma.

"My father told me prior to the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) that if he ran well enough that we might think about going to Ruidoso with him," said Parades. "He said that if perhaps Duponte would run either first or second, that he would warrant the $50,000 supplement to pay for him to try to qualify for the All American Futurity(G1) in Ruidoso."

After the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) win, trainer Josue Ponce brought the colt, whose earnings had risen to $578,519 after the victory, back to his home in Natalia, Texas before shipping him out to Ruidoso.

"We took him home and rested him for a week after the Heritage Place win," said Ponce. "I received a call from Edmar Parades and he had told me about the notion of sending him to Ruidoso for the All American Futurity(G1) trials. He asked me if I thought the horse could compete out there, and whether I felt I could get the horse ready to run in time to do so. I told him that I was sure we would be ready, but it was his decision to make because of the enormity of the $50,000 supplement fee that he would have to pay. Mr. Paredes told me not to worry with the money because the horse had earned his way into the race."

"So we took him out to Ruidoso two months ago to get him acclimated to the altitude, and he has thrived. We have worked him twice since he has been here, including one gate work for 330 yards. We just can't be happier with how he is doing."

Since the win in the Heritage Place Futurity(G1), Duponte's breeder Bobby D. Cox, has repurchased a percentage of the colt for an unspecified amount, as well as Kristen's uncle Homero Parades who has also joined the partnership that now owns the American Runaway colt.

"To have my uncle and Mr. Bobby Cox join us with the ownership of the horse has been tremendous," said Paredes. "This horse has just brought so much joy to our lives and we are just so very hopeful for his chances of getting into the All American with him this weekend."