May 2017 Chamber Chatter May 2017 Chamber Chatter | Page 9

RACING
ARSENALOFDEMOCRACY GIVES
AMOSS, QUINONEZ FIRST WINS OF 2017
F
ive-time Indiana Grand Leading
Trainer Tom Amoss scored his
first win of the 2017 season Wednesday,
April 19 with a horse that has been part
of the stable for the past three seasons.
Arsenalofdemocracy rallied home to a
four-length win in the afternoon’s second
race of the day, which also marked the
first win for Indiana newcomer Alonso
Quinonez. It’s been a journey worth
the wait for Midwest Thoroughbred’s
Arsenalofdemocracy, who overcame an eye
injury last year in his return to Indiana.
Starting from post five,
Arsenalofdemocracy, the favorite of the
six-furlong claiming event, tracked the
progress of others in the race as Cherokee
Band and Constantino Roman led the
way down the backstretch. Quinonez was
able to slip Arsenalofdemocracy down
to the inside, saving ground and shaking
loose from the field in the stretch for the
win. Cherokee Band finished second while
My Brown Eyed Guy and Manoel Cruz
maintained position for third.
Arsenalofdemocracy, a five-year-old
son of Imperialism, increased his career
bankroll to more than $65,000 for
Karen and Richard Papiese’s Midwest
Thoroughbreds. Amoss handles the
training duties for the claimer, who has
overcome adversity and proved his grit in
his return to the winner’s circle.
“I got this horse (Arsenalofdemocracy)
after his last race at Churchill Downs as a
three-year-old,” said Amoss. “He got his
first win at Canterbury and got on a hot
streak, winning all four of his starts there.
We had him at Indiana Grand last year
and during a race, something struck his
eye, causing severe damage. It was a joint
chamberchatter
effort by the racetrack veterinarians and
the clinic in Kentucky to save his eye.”
Arsenalofdemocracy’s owners stepped
up in a big way. Amoss noted the Papiese’s
put a lot of money into saving his eye,
something that most owners would not
have bothered with. Known for their
love and commitment of their horses,
the expensive process was a success for
Indiana win aboard Arsenalofdemocracy.
Quinonez, new to the Indiana racing
circuit, comes into Indiana Grand off a
leading rider title at Turfway Park.
It was the first time aboard
Arsenalofdemocracy for Alonso
Quinonez. Although he started off his
career more than a decade ago in the
Midwest and was touted as one of the
Photo by Linscott Photography
the Papiese family, and although there is
a noticeable white spot on the eye and
the gelding has limited vision, he is back
racing and the injury has not stopped him
at all in his career as a racehorse.
“It doesn’t matter to Midwest
Thoroughbreds whether it is a cheaper
claimer or a stakes horse, they take
responsibility and do everything they can
that is in the best interest of the horse,”
added Amoss.
Alonso Quinonez scored his first
May 2017
brightest up and coming jockeys, he didn’t
compete on the Indiana circuit. Instead,
he shifted his tack to California where
he experienced a lot of success, including
several Graded Stakes wins, the most
noted being a win in the 2011 Grade II
San Felipe Stakes with Premier Pegasus,
who was on the Kentucky Derby trail that
year.
After several very successful seasons in
California, an injury sidelined Quinonez
for several months. He admitted recovery
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