By Jessica Martini
Everett Dobson of Cheyenne Stables was in an understandably jubilant mood Sunday evening. A day after watching his unbeaten juvenile Mastery (Candy Ride {Arg}) romp home a 7 1/4-length winner of Saturday's GI Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity, Dobson and bloodstock agent Gatewood Bell watched remotely as the stable's other unbeaten 2-year-old Cowboy Culture (Quality Road) capped the weekend with an allowance win at Fair Grounds.
“Both horses were picked out by Gatewood Bell,” Dobson was quick to point out. “He's got a big smile on his face now, too.”
Mastery, a $425,000 Keeneland September yearling, is now three-for-three after cruising in his two-turn debut for trainer Bob Baffert in Saturday's Futurity.
“I was obviously just thrilled,” Dobson said of the win. “He looked like, on paper, that he was the best horse. But they don't hand out those trophies from what it looks like on paper. To see him perform the way he did was quite a thrill. And we are very excited about his future.”
Mastery was backed as the second choice in the first 2017 Kentucky Derby Future wager pool which closed Nov. 27, but Dobson is taking it one race at a time with the talented colt.
“I have had some nice horses do well early, but probably none at his level,” Dobson said. “We're looking forward to every race and we're certainly not ignoring that the Kentucky Derby is out there. Hopefully we'll get there.”
Mastery went wire-to-wire to win his Oct. 22 debut at Santa Anita before adding the Nov. 19 GIII Bob Hope S. Dobson said expectations were always high for the youngster.
“Even when he was getting broke last winter down with Randy Bradshaw, he was touting the horse,” Dobson recalled. “Then he got with Baffert and he and his assistants continued to say he was doing everything as good as a horse can do it. He was very professional. He has a very efficient stride and a long stride. So far, everybody that has been around him has been very high on him and I'm certainly in that camp as well.”
Mastery was doing well Sunday, but future plans are still up in the air.
“I got a text from Bob earlier and he came out of the race very good and was not particularly tired this morning,” Dobson said. “We really haven't even thought about [what's next] yet. Bob will start assigning horses to races down the road and I'll let Bob drive the bus on that one.”
Dobson has another juvenile to look forward to in the promising Cowboy Culture. A $100,000 Keeneland September purchase, the bay was a first-out winner over the Churchill turf Oct. 30. He remained unbeaten Sunday in New Orleans with a half-length victory in a one-mile turf allowance victory.
“We watched the race on our phones, but from what we could tell he looked very good,” Dobson said of Cowboy Culture's race. “He made a good move. He could certainly be a nice one.”
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