By Bill Finley
Tennessee Moon (Ransom the Moon) is not the type of horse to make headlines, but maybe that's because we've forgotten how special and admirable some of these blue-collar horses can be. The 5-year-old owned and trained by 56-year-old Mark Hibdon won 13 times from 18 starts in 2024, winning more races than any other horse in training. It's not just that she was winning, it was where she was winning. She ran in Louisiana (Delta Downs), Nebraska (Fonner Park), Wyoming (Energy Downs 307 Racing), Texas (Lone Star Park), Colorado (Arapahoe Park) and Kentucky (Churchill Downs).
“It may sound funny to other people, but she's our big horse,” Hibdon said. “It was a blessing that we got her. She's different, unique, and very talented and we claimed her for $5,000. I thank the Lord for that. I just don't want to get her beat. Every time l take her over there, I start to think about that.”
That hasn't been much of a problem lately. Tennessee Moon has won five of her six races and the only defeat came in a Claiming Crown race at Churchill. But it doesn't look like anything will come easily when she goes postward Friday at Delta Downs in the $75,000 Orleans S. at five furlongs, where she will face six others. Stepping up off a win in a $5,000 starter allowance race, she is 7-2 on the morning line. She will be racing over her favorite track. She is 8-for-8 at Delta.
“I feel pretty good about this race,” said Hibdon, noting that Tennessee Moon became ineligible for $5,000 starter allowance races at Delta on Jan. 1. “I think she can run with these horses.”
A win in a $75,000 stakes would be the highlight of her career so far, but there will always be a lot more to her story than just one race.
Hibdon had been watching Tennessee Moon while she kept changing barns via the claim in 2023, first at Emerald Downs and then at Delta. He claimed her on Nov. 17, 2023 at Delta from trainer Jon Arnett. He could have run her back in another $5,000 claimer, where she probably would have won and probably would have been claimed. But Hibdon didn't want to take any chances and ran her in an entry level allowance race. She won by 3 1/4 lengths, the second win in what would become a seven-race winning streak.
“It was shocking,” Hibdon said. “The first time I ran her, we thought we'd take a shot in an 'A other than' because it was for a little bit more money. I thought she could do it. I really liked her. She won pretty easy, so we got excited about her at that point because I felt like I had a good 'starter five' filly for the rest of the year I don't want to sound arrogant or cocky, but she was winning so easy that it didn't take anything out of her. She's come back and it was like she had just been sent her out for a two-minute lick. It's really fun and exciting when you have a horse like that. I've never had one like that.”
With the exception of Delta, most of the tracks that Hibdon competes at have shorts meets, which is why Tennessee Moon was so often on the move. But Hibdon enjoyed that part of the story. He made sure to visit Yellowstone and took in all the beauty that is Wyoming.
“Wyoming is part of the most beautiful country that I've ever seen,” he said. “We kind of look at it as a vacation. So we go there and get a paid vacation.”
Tennessee Moon has been back at Delta Downs since October and has won her last two races there. She's got plenty of speed, so her game plan when it comes to five-furlong races is break fast and dare them to try to catch her.
“She just loves [Delta],” Hibdon said. “She gets over it so good. The tight turns might have something to do with it. She's an athletic filly and she has little bit faster cruising rate than most horses have. It comes easy to put that speed out there and she doesn't have to work for it. Those other horses trying to keep up with that, it takes a little more out of them, especially at Delta Downs. That track is real heavy.”
The 2-1 morning line favorite in the Orleans is Miss Arlington (Mark Valeski), the winner of the Mahoning Distaff S. Steve Asmussen will send out Makeup (Classic Empire), an allowance winner in her last start at Churchill Downs.
“It will probably be the toughest race of her career,” Hibdon said. “I'd compare it to the Claiming Crown race she ran in in Kentucky, when she was fourth. There were some pretty nice mares in there.”
Hibdon has been training since 2001 and has 35 horses under his care. Prior to 2024, he had never topped $660,000 in seasonal earnings. That all changed last year thanks to Tennessee Moon. She earned $190,134, pushing the stable's earnings on the year to $1,040,020. He, of course, wants to win Friday, which might open some doors for some even tougher stakes races. But this is truly a horse that owes his owner and trainer nothing.
“I know is sounds like a cliche, but I don't really do this for the money, I do it because I love horse racing,” Hibdon said. “I love horses and I'm thankful that we make enough money to keep going. Anybody who gets into this business to make money is probably barking up the wrong tree. But when you have a horse like this, the sport can be really fun.”
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