With rain coming down hard on a muddy track, Mister Riptide hit the wire first in the Grade II Zia Derby today at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Last year’s winner of the Zia Futurity ran the 400-yard course in 19.885 to win the signature race for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds on this weekend’s Zia Festival race card.
Read MoreNew Mexico-bred Thoroughbreds took center stage at Ruidoso Downs today to battle it out for a spot in the finals of the Rio Grande Senorita Futurity and the Rio Grande Senor Futurity finals. Only the first trial heat ran on a fast, dry track as there was an extended rain/lighting delay after which the track condition was changed to wet for the rest of the program. Each final race will go 5 ½ furlongs for a purse $125,000 on August 16th at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreNew Mexico horsemen who are blessed to train fast state-bred two-year-old quarter horses must solve this annual puzzle: Do we win the $392,537 Zia Futurity or point the horse to the $3 million All American Futurity trials in August? Or both?
Read MoreTrainer Juan M. Gonzalez sends out several live runners in stakes this weekend. The trainer's son, Juan Carlos, who oversees much of the day to day training, was quite high on their two runners in the Zia Derby as well as two other runners who are new to the barn.
Read MoreZia Festival weekend begins Friday with trials for the Rio Grande Señorita and Rio Grande Señor, for two-year-old New Mexico-bred thoroughbreds going five and one-half furlongs, the former restricted to fillies and latter to colts and geldings. There are horses who ran in the Mountain Top trials, some who ran in maiden races, and others making their debuts.
Read MoreIt was cloudy most of the day, but the sun started to peak through about the time of the Rainbow Juvenile Stakes and then the clouds parted nearly completely by the time of the Rainbow Futurity. However, there were no rainbows to be seen in the sky, but some great two year olds did show up on the track.
Whistle Stop Cafe broke clean and found another gear in the last 150 yards to win the Grade I $1 Million Rainbow Futurity by ¾ of a length over morning line favorite Mister Illusion. Seven ran third, and post time favorite and Ruidoso Futurity champion Cyber Monday finished fourth taking away any chance of a Triple Crown winner in the Quarter Horse division in 2020. Undefeated Whistle Stop Cafe, who ran the 400 yards in 19.492, returned $14.40 on a $2 win ticket. The race was run under partly cloudy skies on a fast track.
Read MoreIn the feature stakes race of the day, the Grade I Rainbow Derby, all eyes were on the filly Hotsempting who took on the colts and geldings in the open division instead of running in the new Oaks division for fillies. In the end, it came down to three horses hitting the wire almost simultaneously with Cers Final Try winning with a time of 21.368. Hotsempting ran a very close second with a time of 21.378, and Gold Heart Eagle V was third with a time of 21.380. The 440-yard dash for a purse of $710,414 was run under cloudy skies on a fast track with almost no wind.
Read MoreAfter two scratches in the Rainbow Invitational, the two runners from the also eligibles list drew in, so a field of ten went postward. The favorite was Love Is Everything V, trained by Eddie Willis and ridden by Jimmy Dean Brooks who was celebrating his 55th birthday today. It was definitely a happy birthday, as the sorel gelding dug in gamely to win by a neck.
Read MoreThe road to the All American Futurity, the world’s richest Quarter Horse race, continues this weekend at Ruidoso Downs Race Track as 10 of the fastest 2-year-olds race 400 yards for $1 Million in the Grade I Rainbow Futurity on Sunday. One of those horses includes Cyber Monday, the winner of the 2020 Ruidoso Futurity, who with a win would keep his hopes alive for having a shot at the $2 Million Triple Crown bonus.
Read MoreSaturday kicks off stakes action with the Rainbow Invitational Stakes, the inaugural Rainbow Oaks, and the Rainbow Derby in races six, eight and ten, respectively. The Rainbow Invitational is for three-year-olds who competed in the Rainbow Derby trials and did not qualify for the finals.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers for the Inside Track about the upcoming Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers for the Inside Track about the upcoming Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers for the Inside Track about the upcoming Rainbow Oaks at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreSaturday saw the Zia Derby trials as races two through six, from which the 10 fastest times will proceed to the finals. The seasonal bow of Mister Riptide was a winning one, earning him the eighth-fastest time of the day and a berth two weeks hence. He was the only horse from the first two of five total trials to make the finals.
Read MoreOn an overcast and breezy day at Ruidoso Downs, it was Donelli in the fourth heat that notched the fastest qualifying time with a time of 19.668, followed closely by Close to Crazy and First Neon Moon who also qualified from that same heat. The finals for the Grade II Zia Derby will be run on July 25th when 3-year-old New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses compete at 400 yards for a purse of $187,780.
Read MoreCristom saved the best for last today at Ruidoso Downs Race Track when he ran a blistering fast 19.764 in the 11th and final trial heat to capture the fastest qualifying time for the 2020 Zia Futurity. The $375,000 Zia Futurity, a Grade I stakes race for New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses, will be run at 400 yards on July 26th.
Read MoreToday was the Zia Quarter Horse Futurity Trials, consisting of eleven races with the top 10 fastest times going to the finals. There was minimal wind through much of the day with a mild tailwind during a handful of races. The fastest qualifier came in the very last trial, when Cristom, ridden by Noe Garcia, Jr. and trained by Fred Danley, blew them away to post a 19.764. Cristom entered off a maiden win June 21st, the gelding's lone outing prior to today.
Read MoreNew Mexico-bred Quarter Horses will race 400 yards this weekend for a chance to run in the Grade 1 $375,000 Zia Futurity and the Grade II $175,000 Zia Derby later this summer at Ruidoso Downs. The rest of the weekend race card is full of exciting, maiden, claiming, and allowance races.
Read MoreThis weekend is forecast to be warm and loaded with regional horse racing as Friday we have 11 trials for the Zia Quarter Horse Futurity for New Mexico breds, Saturday has five trials for the Zia Quarter Horse Derby as well as the Regional Juvenile Challenge Stakes with preference given to finalists of the Rillito Park Regional Challenge Juvenile after their meet was canceled due to Covid-19, and Sunday features the division of that latter Regional Challenge Stakes for older horses. In addition, there are several thoroughbred maidens for New Mexico bred two-year-olds.
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