Hez Our Secret - Highly regarded as a 2-year-old, Hez Our Secret qualified for the Rainbow Futurity (G1) but was scratched after emergency colic surgery. After he recovered, the colt returned to the races to finish fourth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1). Given a break, he returned on June 9 to finish third in a Ruidoso allowance behind fellow All American Derby qualifier Testing The Ice, then was fourth in Ochoa’s Rainbow Derby (G1) trial. Hez Our Secret is one of three finalists from the third All American Derby trial. Run during a driving rain, but before the heavy rains soaked the track, the First Down Dash colt finished in a dead heat victory with A Toss Up.
The sport’s No. 2 all-time leading breeder, Vessels Stallion Farm is based in Bonsall, California, and has in its own name bred horses with 7,074 starts and 1,170 wins. The horses have accumulated more than $21.3 million and include All American Futurity winners Royal Quick Dash, Dash Thru Traffic and No Secrets Here, as well as champions Little Bit Of Baja, Apollitical Time, Hardly Hateful, Your First Moon, Old Habits, Iba Dasher, Hateful Hanna, Meter Me Gone and Rare Form.
“I was real pleased with his improvement,” owner Johnny Trotter said of the gutty colt’s trial performance. “I’m thinking he’ll benefit as much from this race as he did from that Rainbow trial.”
“Bless his heart, he’s had a hard time,” Trotter added. “I’m just proud for that horse, as much trouble as he’s had. He’s a lot better horse than his record shows.”
Hez Our Secret is one of two All American Derby finalist sired by all-time leading sire First Down Dash. The stallion, who died in 2010, has foal earnings of more than $77.8 million, which eclipses the next closest – his sire, Dash For Cash, who has foal earnings of more than $39.9 million. First Down Dash is the sire of All American Derby winners Brimmerton, Stoli, Dashing Perfection and Royal Down Dash.
The 10-year-old mare Secret Separation is a daughter of Separatist, out of the Raise A Secret mare Dicey Secret, making her a half sister to All American Futurity winner No Secrets Here. The winning race mare, owned by Vessels Stallion Farm LLC, has produced eight winners from nine starters, including Grade 1 runner Nosecretwhosefirst (by First Down Dash, $85,000). |