BY GARRY ALLISON
Rocky Mountain Turf Club
To quote owner/trainer Jim Depew, it was "a great way to start the year."
Depew's Jorae, Antonio Ramirez aboard, outraced Kilkenny Aileen down the lane in the
opening race of the Rocky Mountain Turf Club Spring Meet to pay $26.80, $4.80 and $3.20. The
Exactor paid a nice $123.
Jorae is by Elegant Fellow out of La Vie Rn Rose by Apollo.
"She's got a lot of gas. She won three races last year, She took this race out early and held the
lead." said Depew, as son Adam, just back from a two-year LDS Church mission to
Mozambique, led the horse to the test barn.
"We got Jorae out of California and we've run her now for a couple of years," said Barb, wife
and mother of the Depew family."She's a good horse but can be kind of nutty sometimes. She's
not the easiest horse to handle."
The Depews were still basking in the glory of winning the first race of the RMTC season when
one of their tried and true mounts, Mr. Excessive, took the third race with relative ease.
"I started my training back in March on my farm, in the snow. As a result I've got some more
days in than some of the other guys," said Jim.
Barb said all the Depew horses train early in the year in the snow, which seems to last forever on
the Depew farm south of Raymond, along the Milk River Ridge.
"Two years ago Mr. Excessive (by In Excess out of Mis Upstart by Flastaff) was the horse of the
year at the Rocky Mountain Turf Club. He was kind of sickly last year but was running well at
the end."
Sunday the Depew's bubble burst when Maputo finished fourth, but had the race been two
strides longer he was challenging for first.
However others were smiling Sunday.
Owner/trainer Lyle Magnuson had three winners, Box Top, Manningshill Road and Lucky
Thirteen. Two of the winners were ridden by Nate Smith, and the other by Laurina Bugeaud.
Smith booted home five winners in the 11 races opening weekend, an average he'd like to see
continue all spring long. His closest rivals were Scott Sterr and Antonio Ramirez with a pair of
wins apiece.
Magnuson was the busiest trainer Sunday, getting his horses to the paddock, watching his horses
win and then running off to the test barn on the backside of the track at the end of each race,
never having time to stop and comment about his good fortune. His fist winner, Bugeaud in the
irons, paid a nice $13,50 to win.
Box Top is by He's Tops out of No Forgiveness by Basket Weave, coming to Whoop-Up Downs
via Washington.
Sunday's biggest payday came from And That's The Truth with Jackie Smith aboard. The $2
triactor of 6-2-1 paid $155.40 with Jackie's mount paying $20, $8.30 and $3.40.
Jackie Smith was supposed to be in retirement but stepped in he irons when a number of injuries
cut the jockey pool way down. Ironically Jackie injured her leg in the first race Saturday and
ended up being a scratch as she subbed for Kym Espy, out with pulled ligaments in her thumb.
BEHIND THE STARTING GATE: Longtime race enthusiast and a great friend of the RMTC,
Melvin Christianson, was all smiles when his horse, Miss High Society, posted a nice win with
Scott Sterr aboard . . . "It's a nice start, I hope this holds on for the meet," he said as his son-in-
law and trainer Daniel Oberholtzer led the horse away . . . there were only four races on
Saturday's opening card in order to allow race fans to take full advantage of the Kentucky Derby
and the annual Derby party at Bullys . . . Not only did the Depews win two of the four races
Saturday but they held winning tickets on the Derby . . . There were splotches of Sun for
Saturday's card and Sunday would have been warm, except for a chilling wind . . . But then its
Lethbridge . . . While Jackie Smith was riding, she was also the winning owner in the second
race Sunday, the Magnuson's trained Manningshill Road . . . Last year's trainer of the year, Pete
Dubois, had his first win Sunday with Bam Bam, a horse owned by his wife Erna . . . Racing
continues at the RMTC this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.