New Mexico horse wins 16th consecutive race

Peppers Pride jockey Carlos Madeira, left, and trainer Joel Marr stand in the winner's circle at SunRay Park in Farmington, N.M., on April 26, 2008, after the 5-year-old mare tied the record for 16 consecutive wins. (AP photo/The Daily Times, Lucas Ian Coshenet)

FARMINGTON, N.M.—Peppers Pride became the sixth thoroughbred ever to win 16 straight races with a two-length victory on Saturday.

The 5-year-old, New Mexico-bred mare ran the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17 at SunRay Park to take the $75,000 Russell and Helen Foutz Distaff Handicap.

A daughter of Desert God, Peppers Pride joined Citation, Cigar, Mister Frisky, Hallowed Dreams and Got Country Grip as the only other horses in North America to win 16 races in a row with a saddled jockey.

"I don't know what intangibles it takes for an athlete to be great," trainer Joel Marr said in the winner's circle. "But whatever that is, she has it."

Jockey Carlos Madeira has been aboard Peppers Pride for each of the 16 victories.

"It was kind of a rough trip," Madeira said after Saturday's race in which Peppers Pride was the favorite. "But once she settled down and got away from that horse on the turn, she settled beautifully on the fence and she was going very well at that point."

Peppers Pride outraced Bossy Bush in the final 100 yards to increase her lifetime earnings to more than $861,000 for owner Joseph Allen.

Marr said he didn't want to commit to what race Peppers Pride will run in next, when she will attempt to break the all-time record with 17 consecutive wins.

At Oklahoma City in April, Got Country Grip lost by a head in the 5-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding's bid for a record-setting 17th straight win.

Peppers Pride has faced only New Mexico-bred competition and has yet to travel out of state during the record streak.

"If it was so easy to do, then there would be a hundred horses with the record," Marr said.