Jimmy Rash, Central Nebraska Today
GRAND ISLAND — The main event Saturday at Fonner Park is the $75,000 Bosselman Pump and Pantry/Gus Fonner Stakes.
But the undercard is pretty good too.
That undercard includes the $30,000 Elite Sprint Cup, and trainer Mark Hibdon and owner Jason Cline had a decision to make about their horse General Shipman on Wednesday morning.
General Shipman, who won Ogataul Stakes earlier this racing season at Fonner Park, was eligible for a Nebraska-bred race with a purse of $16,500 to be run on Saturday. There was also the Sprint Cup to consider..
“I was talking to Jason (Wednesday) morning about what to do,” Hibdon said. “I asked him if he wanted to run in the Nebraska-bred allowance, although we had intended to run in the Sprint Cup.
“But when you can, you know, run against your own kind, I’m the kind of guy who takes advantage of that and run in it, and so I talked to Jason. He says, ‘Well, do you think we got a chance to win the Sprint Cup?’”
Hibdon liked their chances, so he entered General Shipman in the Elite Sprint Cup.
Hibdon said the Nebraska-bred allowance race only had four entries, so they could have used General Shipman in that one.
“But we put him in the Sprint Cup, and I think he’s going to be the horse to beat in there,” Hibdon said. “So we’re excited about it.”
General Shipman, a 4-year-old son of Midshipman and Impish who was bred by Cline, ended up being the morning-line favorite at 2-1. He’s won five of his 13 starts which includes two allowance races at Remington Park last fall.
David Cardoso, the regular rider for the Hibdon barn, will be onboard General Shipman. He also rode him in the Ogataul.
“Cardoso really likes him, and the horse is training really well,” Hibdon said. “He’ll be live in there, for sure.”
Trainer David Anderson thinks he has a live one too in Mo Summer, another Nebraska-bred who is second favorite on the morning line at 5-2. Mo Summer was second to General Shipman in the Ogataul and since then has won two straight allowance races.
Caleb On the Go, another Nebraska-bred gelding, is also in the Sprint Cup and is 10-1 on the morning line. Caleb On the Go was second in the 2024 Ogataul, just a nose behind Mo Summer in first.
Axel Steel, trained by Schuyler Condon, is 5-1 on the morning line.
Anderson expects a fast pace out front in the Sprint Cup.
“There’s just a ton of speed in there,” Anderson said. “General Shipman, Axel Steel, Caleb On the Go, wants to go. I think Mo will be close, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be in front either.
“If that speed hooks up like it looks like it should on paper, I give him a pretty good shot.”
Under Oath, trained by Stetson Rushton, is 9-2 on the morning line. Medicine Tail, another Condon horse, is 6-1, Charter Oak 8-1 and Falsely Accused 15-1.
“There’s a lot of good horses in that race. and it’s going to be a pretty competitive race and I think we have one of the horses that are live in there,” Hibdon said. “I want to win it for that (Cline) family. The Clines are great people, and I really want to win that race for them guys, so there is a little pressure.”
Hoofprints
— Kevin Roman may be closing in on his fourth straight jockey’s title. With four days of racing left, Roman leads the standings with 50 wins. Jose Medina has 39.
— Hibdon still leads the trainer standings with 35 wins, but Isai Gonzalez is just one behind with 34. Gonzalez has won six trainer titles at Fonner including the last three in a row. Anderson is a strong third with 28.
— Hibdon leads the owner standings with 34 wins. GSH Stable, which is owned and run by Gonzalez and his brothers, is second with 24.
Fonner Park Standings
Jockeys
Name;Sts;1st;2nd;3rd;Win%;$%
Kevin Roman;200;50;47;30;25;64
Jose Medina;186;39;28;25;21;49
David Cardoso;122;31;19;8;25;48
Ronald Hisby;144;18;16;16;13;35
Victor Bailon;137;17;11;17;12;33
Travis Cunningham;149;13;19;26;9;39
Nathan Haar;131;9;15;15;7;30
Scott Bethke;85;9;4;13;11;31
Blake Nunnally;120;8;17;18;7;36
Jayden Ironeyes;142;8;14;16;6;27
Trainers
Name;Sts;1st;2nd;3rd;Win%;$%
Mark Hibdon;138;35;24;13;25;52
Isai Gonzalez;146;34;34;23;23;62
David Anderson;140;28;22;19;20;49
Kelli Martinez;108;13;15;13;12;38
Marvin Johnson;60;13;11;7;22;52
Jason Wise;52;13;5;8;25;50
Schuyler Condon;66;8;6;7;12;32
Troy Bethke;36;6;1;5;17;33
Gerald Big Hair;27;6;1;2;22;33
Stetson Rushton;71;5;9;6;7;28
/Owners
Name;Sts;1st;2nd;3rd;Win%;$%
Mark Hibdon;133;34;24;12;26;53
GSH Stable LLC;87;24;22;13;28;68
Garald Wollesen;30;6;2;3;20;37
Troy Bethke;22;6;0;4;27;45
JL Racing LLC;46;5;9;8;11;48
Ryan Belgum;11;5;2;1;45;73
D and L Farms;46;4;8;10;9;48
Marvin JohnsonLLC;16;4;2;1;25;44
Landis Stables LLC;16;3;6;2;19;69
Steven Keplin,Jr.;17;3;3;3;18;53
