Saturday Feb 4, 2012

For Immediate Release Wednesday, December 14, 2011   COLD CASH 123, OCHOA MAKE THEIR MARK ATOP FINAL 2011 NATIONAL RANKINGS   Chock full of nationally ranked contenders, last Saturday’s Grade 1 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos appeared an almost certainty to determine the top-ranked older horse of 2012 in the AQHARacing.com / Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 poll. Instead, following a massive upset of the top two placings, Cold Cash 123 ascended to the top perch despite not having competed in the Champion of Champions.   Cold Cash 123, who was just one point in the balloting behind Llano Teller last week, moved up to the No. 1 spot in the poll this week with only one more season-ending poll to come after the Dec. 31 Championship at Sunland. Good Reason SA moved all the way up to No. 2 following his 15-1 score in the Champion of Champions, having been the top vote-getter last week who sat just outside the Top 10.   Other poll fall-out from the Champion of Champions saw last week’s No. 1 Llano Teller tumble to No. 4 following a sixth-place finish after stumbling at the start. Louisiana Senator, who finished fifth in the Champion of Champions, remained in his same No. 3 spot in this week’s poll. Chivalry Sr, ninth a week ago, moved up two spots to No. 7 nationally following a third-place run in the Champion of Champions.   Cold Cash 123 won 5 of 7 starts on the year, including the Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby at Lone Star Park in November and the Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs in July. The 440-yard specialist’s only defeat since May came when hesitating at the start of the Grade 1 All American Derby as the 6-5 favorite on Labor Day weekend.   As for the 2-year-olds, Grade 1 All American Futurity winner Ochoa comfortably remained No. 1 this week. He has scored in three of four starts, all at Ruidoso Downs between May and September, and suffered his only defeat when third in the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity in his second career start. Trained by Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, Ochoa is a stablemate of top-ranked older horse Cold Cash 123, giving the legendary conditioner a sweep atop the polls as the season draws near its end.   Sunday’s rich Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity provided some late-season fireworks to the juvenile rankings. Upset winner I Like The Odds made a debut splash in the poll all the way up to No. 3, winning for the third time in his last four starts since beginning the season 0-for-3. Los Al Two Million Futurity runner-up Last To Fire, sent away the race’s 2-1 favorite, earned the No. 10 spot in the poll.     NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS   1.  OCHOA (88) 2.  FEATURE MR BOJANGLES (72) 3.  I LIKE THE ODDS (69) 4.  SEPARATE FIRE (67) 5.  IGOTYOURTAC (50) 6.  SURE SHOT B (43) 7.  SIXES STREAK (34) 8.  HIGH RATE OF RETURN (21) 9.  SILVER FOR ME (16) 10. LAST TO FIRE (10)   Send Me A Candy Tree (8), Mighty B Valiant (7), Jess Send Me (6), Tee Coss (1), Ima Chickie Too (1), Adolf Tres Knockout (1), Jess Tee Off (1)    NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP             1.   COLD CASH 123 (86)             2.   GOOD REASON SA (80)             3.   LOUISIANA SENATOR (67)             4.   LLANO TELLER (61)             5.   JESS YOU AND I (52)             6.   RYLEES BOY (47)             7.   CHIVALRY SR (40)             8.   FAVORITE CARTEL (18)             9.   MISS RACY JESS (17)             10. PROSPECT TO THE TOP (12)   Sparky E Boy (8), Snitcher (4), Noconi (1), Capo De Capi (1)   The nine voters are: Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper) Martha Claussen (AQHA Q Racing Aces/writer/handicapper) Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper) Tom Dawson (network television producer) Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper) Jerry Shottenkirk (handicapper/oddsmaker) Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor) Terry Turrell (Horseplayernow.com handicapper) Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA) AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal or America's Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.