Dacota Monk and Seis Martinis, a 2020 sorrel mare by Tres Seis and out of Michelle Darling’s famed NFR mount Morning Traffic (Frenchmans Guy), proved their consistency again in Perry, Georgia, by winning the Ruby Buckle East Futurity average with a 29.946 on two runs.
Looking for Ruby Buckle East results and recaps? Click here.
Owned by Belle Terre Ranch and bred by Darling, the pair was fourth in the first round (15.028, worth $4,400 for the owners, $550 each to sire and breeder) and fifth in the second (14.918, worth $3,000 to the owners, $375 each to sire and breeder). They secured the average championship for $16,000 to the owners and $2,000 each to the stallion and breeder, bringing Seis Martinis’ weekend earnings in Perry to more than $25,000 before sidepots and Open rollovers.
“She’s so forgiving and listens to me,” Monk said. “I don’t ever have to really worry about her ignoring me. She acts like a finished horse basically, even at five, and that’s what makes her so fun to run.”
Eastern Focus
The Perry setup offered its own challenges, but Monk emphasized how Seis Martinis’ disposition helped him manage the details.
“My goal was to go straighter to the first, and we still went out a little, but she made up for it,” Monk explained. “She lets me fix it if I need to. Some horses, I’ll drag a barrel, but with her I don’t ever have to worry. She’s so forgiving and she’ll let me put her where I need her.”
Monk admitted the pressure of the futurity season keeps him fine-tuning each run. “I try to keep her super quiet, but then I have to remember to ride aggressive,” he said. “Mainly with her it’s to nail the first barrel. She changes on me all the time — one run she wants me super aggressive, the next she’s freer across the pen. So I go for it that first round, then judge my timing for the next.”
From June to Georgia
The Perry win followed an already career-making summer. Monk and Seis Martinis struck gold at the Ruby Buckle West Futurity in South Jordan, Utah, after strong trips at the Run for the Rose and Colorado Classic. All told, she banked more than $57,000 in June
“She was really different when I started her, she made me scratch my head,” Monk said. “But once she understood what I was asking, she just started picking it up. By the end of her three-year-old year, she gave me moves that made me believe in her, and since then she’s just loved going and doing her job.”
The Ruby Buckle West win was especially meaningful. “It’s been a huge goal of mine to win a buckle, whether it was Pink or Ruby,” Monk said. “I came close a couple times on some good horses and failed at it, so I told myself this mare needs to win this. She deserved it.”
Derby Plans Ahead
Monk is quick to credit Seis Martinis for how much she gives him. “She’s real forgiving and lets me put her places, but sometimes that’s not good — if I miscue her, she goes for it and that costs us. But I can’t complain about her. She’s just incredible to run and be around.”
Looking to next season, he’s eager to keep building on her momentum. “We plan to derby her until she ages out, and I think she’s just going to keep getting faster and more confident,” he said. “It’s going to be fun.”