Tennessee Moon Posts 13 Wins in '24 Under Hibdon's Care

In the case of filly Tennessee Moon, "home" is where her story really begins. Bred by Bluegrass royalty, Lexington's Calumet Farm, Tennessee Moon began her career in California, first with trainer Leandro Mora, then with Doug O'Neill. The daughter of Calumet's multiple grade 1-winning sprinter Ransom the Moon failed to earn her maiden in five starts on the West Coast before being sold privately to Emerald Downs-based trainer Justin Evans. The change would help. In her Emerald Downs debut against other maidens, she graduated by 13 lengths while running for an $8,000 tag. Out of the winner's circle, she would head back to a new stable as she was claimed that day. From there, she would be good enough to be a consistent pawn in the claiming game, exchanging barns five more times before landing in a place she could finally call home; a place she would find her best stride. Texas native Mark Hibdon first noticed Tennessee Moon when she prevailed in a slugfest to the wire to win a $5,000 non-winners-of-three claiming race Oct. 21, 2023, at Delta Downs. The owner/trainer jumped at the opportunity to secure the filly when she was dropped in for the $5,000 tag again about a month later. "I had been watching her," Hibdon said. "You can see from her races she is a gutsy horse. I look for that when I'm claiming horses. Most horses just go out there and do what they have to do but she kind of takes it on herself, she wants to win." Tennessee Moon would live up to expectations in that next race, rolling home by 4 1/4 lengths in the five-furlong dirt sprint. Although she was the 6-5 favorite in that event, Hibdon was the only one who dropped a claim on the filly that day. That would be the last time Tennessee Moon would compete in the claiming ranks in 2023 or 2024. "The people in our barn really love her and take very good of her," Hibdon said. "I think she appreciates (staying in one barn). She's just one of those horses in the barn that people navigate toward; she's a fun horse. I think that's what makes it even better, she's that kind of horse whether she wins or not. She's going to get attention because she's just got that sweet personality." Off the claim, Tennessee Moon stepped up in class and rewarded Hibdon with a decisive score against first-level allowance company at Delta Downs to cap her 3-year-old season. Two weeks later, the filly streaked to her fourth straight win in what would be the beginning of a cross-country ride of a lifetime for Hibdon and his family. By the time 2024 had drawn to a close, the older filly had registered more wins than any horse in the country for the year. She posted 13 victories, posting a two-win advantage over Spikezone, recently named National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Claiming Horse of the Year. The picture of durability, Tennessee Moon made 18 starts in 2024. She won from distances of five furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. She competed at six different tracks in whatever race Hibdon felt suited his star filly best—starter allowances, allowance races, and even stakes races. "We didn't really do anything that I don't with my other horses but I don't have them going out there and winning 13 races," said Hibdon, who currently has a barn of 35 horses stabled at Delta Downs through the winter. "It's all on her; she did it on her own. All we did was take care of her and try to put her in the best spots we could and she did the rest." Arguably the filly's finest efforts came in a three-race win streak at Arapahoe Park in Colorado. Despite the higher elevation (Arapahoe Park sits 5,896 feet above sea level), Tennessee Moon thrived at the mountainside oval, rattling off a trio of victories by a combined 31 1/4 lengths. For Hibdon though, Tennessee Moon's most memorable race was a race she lost. Lining up for the biggest purse of her career in the $100,000 Claiming Crown Glass Slipper Stakes (run at starter-allowance conditions) Nov. 16 at Churchill Downs, the filly paved the way on the front end for most of the race before buckling late, just getting nosed out for third. Despite the loss, back at the barn Tennessee Moon was lavished with love and attention after her gutsy performance. "Going to Churchill was so much fun for us," Hibdon said. "We didn't win but she ran her heart out. We were proud of the way she ran and handled it. I had my family with me. We just made a whole trip out of it. We'll remember it forever." Tennessee Moon ended 2024 with seasonal earnings of $190,134, not bad for a $5,000 claim. She recently finished fourth in the Jan. 3 $75,000 Orleans Stakes at Delta Downs to open her 5-year-old campaign. Hibdon said she'll likely get a well-deserved break before gearing up for the season at Fonner Park. "She's brought some attention to herself this past year and she deserves it," Hibdon said. "People are looking out for her at the races now. It's a lot of fun for everybody. Anybody that's stood there at the fence and watched her run I think kind of feels like they are a part of it too."