Weekend Preview by Mike Ahrens: Memorial Day Weekend May 22 - 25, 2020

With opening weekend nearly upon us we can look forward to some of the best two-year-old quarter horses in the world running Friday and Saturday in the Ruidoso Futurity Trials. The following horses bear watching:

Lady La Belle from the Mike Joiner barn is a half-sister to Apollitical Jess, AQHA World Champion, and Champion 3-Year-Old of 2010. She won her training race at Ruidoso on May 6.

Tres Coronas goes out for Heath Taylor. This colt was well thought of in his debut, an Oklahoma Futurity Trial in which he went off as the 3-10 favorite. After an eventful trip in which he stumbled then bumped with a rival at the start before veering inward, he lost by a nose and was disqualified from second and placed sixth for interference thereby costing him a spot in the finals.

On opening day, Friday, May 22, the 13th trial shapes up to be a tough one. Famous Shining Star, sent out by Mike Joiner, is a half-sister to A Revenant, AQHA Champion 2-Year-Old, and winner of the Rainbow Futurity as well as the runner-up from the Ruidoso Futurity. She won her training race on the second day, May 7, in a snappy time against greater headwind than was seen the day prior.

Dangerous Cartel has drawn a couple of spots inside of her in this heat going in the third post position. This colt now trained by Clint Crawford ran second in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Futurity April 18th when trained by Terry Underwood, getting nipped just at the wire by a nose, and has since had a maintenance move at Ruidoso to get acclimated to new surroundings. Also of note in this race is the Manuel Rodriguez-trained entrant Koolnmacho who is as yet unraced but looked good in a Ruidoso training race on May 7.