by Mike Curry

New Mexico-bred star Peppers Pride is on target for her shot at Thoroughbred racing history on Sunday, when she will try to set the modern North American record of 17 consecutive victories in the $55,000 Lincoln Handicap at Ruidoso Downs.

Trainer Joel Marr said the five-year-old Desert God mare breezed four furlongs in :52.20 on Monday at Ruidoso.  The Joseph Allen homebred is unbeaten in 16 career starts.

“She breezed well,” Marr said. “We didn’t ask her to do too much. It wasn’t a stiff work. She did pretty much what we wanted her to do. The track was a little heavy and slow, and she galloped out afterwards really well and got something out of it. I think we’re ready to go.

“We had planned [to breeze her] earlier, but the track condition kept us from it.”

Marr said the only factor that could prevent Peppers Pride from contesting the Lincoln is track condition. She has made each of her 16 starts on tracks rated as fast.

Peppers Pride tied the record of 16 consecutive wins held by Citation, Cigar, Hallowed Dreams, and Mister Frisky with a two-length win in the Russell and Hellen Foutz Distaff Handicap on April 26 at Sun Ray Park. Marr said Peppers Pride’s will to win sets her apart from other horses he has trained.

“It’s her desire, she has a huge heart,” Marr said. “There have been times when it could have gone the other way. But she just finds whatever it is, whatever that thing is that great athletes possess, every time she has been able to find the finish line first. Her last out, a lot of horses would have given up after being bumped on the first turn, pushed ten wide, and falling ten lengths behind the leader. But she doesn’t know quit.”

Peppers Pride opened her five-year-old season with her second win in the Sydney Valentini Handicap at Sunland Park. She won the six-furlong Lincoln Handicap last year on the Zia Festival card. Peppers Pride was assigned high weight of 127 pounds for the Lincoln Handicap, conceding at least 11 pounds to her challengers.

Marr said Peppers Pride thoroughly enjoys her job and it shows when she hits the track.

“She’s very aggressive on the track. I wouldn’t say she’s hard to train, because she loves to train, but she’s also one that you have to train often and watch her,” he said. “She’s very well broken, she does everything right, and she’s professional, but she’s aggressive on the track. When she gets out there, she knows what it’s about and knows what she wants to do.”

A full sister to stakes winner Desert Pride, Peppers Pride is out of the stakes-placed Chili Pepper Pie mare Lady Pepper. Peppers Pride's sire, Desert God, is out of Blush with Pride, dam of Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour. She has amassed 12 stakes wins, all in races restricted to New Mexico-breds and $861,665 in purse earnings.

“Of course, when we started out that was not in the plan to break any kind of record or tie and record. It was not until after we won ten or so that anybody even mentioned it,” Marr said of equaling the record of Citation and Cigar. “With each subsequent race, it has been more and more pressure probably. It has definitely been fun, and I’m very grateful to have her. I never will have another one like her I’m sure. It’s also been a couple of years of stress.”

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor