Going Ballistic prepping for Distance Championship

Going Ballistic comes out of the best race among all six starters in the $55,000 Veterans at Zia Park, and it's a race that could look even better by the time the Veterans rolls around Saturday.

Going Ballistic finished a distant fourth in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup. The runner-up from that Oct. 2 race, Giant Oak, and the third-place finisher, A.U. Miner, were to start Friday as top contenders in the Grade 3, $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon at Churchill. As for Going Ballistic, he has been working well at his Oklahoma base in preparation for the trip to New Mexico.

"There was an allowance race didn't go at Remington, and we decided to give him a try out there," said Donnie Von Hemel, who trains Going Ballistic.

The Veterans, at 1 1/16 miles, is a prep for the richest Thoroughbred race of the Zia meet, the $200,000 Distance Championship on Dec. 5. Going Ballistic would point for the Distance Championship with the right kind of effort Saturday, said Von Hemel.

Casey Lambert has the mount on Going Ballistic, who will break from the rail and should get a decent pace setup behind Shivers Me, Quiet Again, and Imco Spirit.