Weekend Preview by Mike Ahrens: Juggling Jockeys, June 5 - 7, 2020
The third weekend of live racing is upon us, featuring the Ruidoso Derby and Futurity on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In addition to these are the Ruidoso Invitational Stakes, Ruidoso Juvenile Stakes, and the Mountain Top NM Bred Thoroughbred Futurity Trials. The latter consists of the first four races on Saturday, each of which has eight New Mexico-bred two-year-olds entered to go five furlongs.
Of the 32 horses entered, Todd Fincher trains 13, having three each in the first three races and four in the fourth race. With a regular set of jockeys working his horses in the morning, and some having consistently worked specific horses in this group, arranging who gets to ride who may pose complications. But Fincher tried to spread it out equitably: "I tried to give all of them a good one, or one I think is good." When entries are taken, a rider and an alternate are named, and there is a chance that multiple horses with one rider named on them will draw into a single race, but Fincher and his riders mostly lucked out as they "only had two switches at the draw." He was not quite as lucky with the post positions. With 13 entrants it was to be expected that at least one or two of those ended up drawing the rail. "I got the one-hole three of four races. The worst possible place for any horse and especially for a first-time starter." But, he still has plenty of good shots.
Later on Saturday's card, the ninth of 12 races, is the Ruidoso Invitational Stakes, with preference given to the fastest-timed runners from the Ruidoso Derby Trials who did not qualify to those finals. Of the 10 main-body entrants (excluding the two also eligibles), six come from the barn of Wes Giles. Of those six, four were ridden in the trials by Alan Hernandez. "Alan gets to pick," said Jill Giles of the top rider for their barn. He landed on KJ Mucho Macho Man in post two, who won impressively while breaking from the rail last out. For the others, "we got calls from agents trying to get on" their horses, with Adrian A. Ramos and Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo, who routinely gallop and ride for the outfit, scheduled to ride KJ Frankie B and Avyator respectively. Vallejo rode the latter in the trials and gets back aboard while the former was ridden by Hernandez that day. Rounding out their entrants are My Fast Prize to be ridden by Jesus Olivas, Dynast C with Noe Garcia, Jr. aboard, and Truly A Dynasty with Manuel Gutierrez up.
The Ruidoso Derby, which goes as race 11, sees only one rider change. Raul A. Valenzuela rode both Katch This Bird and Cartel Charly in the trials for trainer John Stinebaugh. Saturday he will ride Cartel Charly while Katch This Bird will be ridden by Benito Jude Baca. On Sunday in race eight, the Ruidoso Juvenile, Steal The Candy, ridden in the trials by Raul Herrera, will get Esgar Ramirez up. Spirit Valley will receive the services of Ricky Ramirez this out whereas in his prior race he was ridden by Francisco Calderon, who sticks with Watch Him B Famous. Ramirez also replaces Calderon aboard Apollitical Redflash in the Ruidoso Futurity, with the latter riding with Jettz. Federico Martinez rode Favorite Blue Girl and Elmer, both for trainer Jose Efren Meraz, in the trials and will ride the latter while replaced on the former by Raul Herrera. Noe Garcia, Jr. was the rider of Speed Dynasty and Misscandymountain in the trials and will ride the latter for the Futurity while the former gets Jose Amador Alvarez who also regularly rides for this gelding's trainer, Fred Danley.