This weekend features an array of stakes action, with the Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Quarter Horse Futurity FInals and Mountain Top QH Juvenile Stakes on Saturday, and the Ruidoso Maiden Stakes, Rita Danley Distaff, and Ruidoso Sprint Handicap to be run on Sunday.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers for The Inside Track about Saturday’s $359,069 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Futurity.
Read MoreTrainer Sergio Ibarra and jockey Sergio Bercerra, Jr. combined to sweep the $1 Million Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity and the $100,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Juvenile today at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Cyber Monday, a stand-out in the trials broke clean and powered to the wire to win by half a length, covering the 350 yards in:17.618.
Read MoreThe $100,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Juvenile and $1,000,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Futurity (Grade 1) were the highlight of the weekend and of Sunday's card. Trainer Sergio Ibarra followed up a big win on Saturday in the Ruidoso Quarter Horse Derby by sending out the winners of both of Sunday's stakes races.
Read MoreClear but warm skies with the wind picking up gradually over the day greeted us for the first major stakes race of the meet as well as an interesting undercard. To start were four thoroughbred races, trials for the Mountain Top NM Bred Thoroughbred Futurity.
Read MoreBill Leach, a lifelong horseman who was one of the very few trainers to win the leading trainer award for both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at Ruidoso Downs, passed away this past Thursday night at his home in Brady, Texas.
Read MoreAfter leading the field in the time trials for the Ruidoso Derby, the filly Hotsempting proved once again that she has what it takes to run with the boys in an impressive win in the $900,000 Ruidoso Derby. Running into a stiff headwind, Hotsempting broke clean and never faltered over the 400 yards on her way to her first Grade 1 stakes win with a time of:20.00.
Read MoreAfter four trial heats for the Mountain Top Thoroughbred Futurity, a 5-furlong race for 2-year-old New Mexico-bred horses, trainer Todd Fincher was the man of the hour when five of the eight qualifying spots today were filled by horses from his barn. The final two positions will be filled in a Sunday morning draw by the third-place finishers in the four heats. Two horses from the Fincher barn will be vying for those spots as well.
Read MoreDuring a rainy afternoon that saw a brief weather delay, trainer Casey Lambert pulled off four wins Friday to take the early lead in the Thoroughbred standings at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreLISTEN NOW President and General Manager, Jeff True, speaks with Tim Keithley and Racetrack Sammy at KBUY-KWES Radio about the prospect of fans in the stands later this summer under COVID-Safe protocols and mass gathering restrictions.
Read MoreMike Ahrens outlines jockey placements for the big race weekend of June 5-7, 2020, featuring the Ruidoso Derby and Futurity on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the Ruidoso Invitational Stakes, Ruidoso Juvenile Stakes, and the Mountain Top NM Bred Thoroughbred Futurity Trials.
Read MoreLive racing continues at Ruidoso Downs this weekend with the running of the first leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown, the $1 Million Ruidoso Futurity, on Sunday, June 7.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers for The Inside Track about the 2020 Ruidoso Futurity qualifiers racing on Sunday, June 7.
Read MoreTim Keithley talks with trainers about the 2020 Ruidoso Derby qualifiers racing on Saturday, June 6.
Read MoreIn the previous Stable Notes I discussed some of the qualifiers for the finals from Friday's Mountain Top NM Bred QH Futurity trials. One trainer's name surprisingly absent from that list was Wesley Giles who encountered a bit of bad luck throughout the day, notably with horses previously profiled as horses to watch.
Read MoreUnder a clear blue sky, Mystic Blues covered 350-yards in :17.48 and took home the $25,000 Dash For Speed Stakes for fillies and mares at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday afternoon.
Read MoreHock You recorded the fastest qualifying time of 17.753 during the Ruidoso Maiden Stakes Trials on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs. The top ten qualifiers for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds will compete in the finals at 350 yards on June 14th for a $90,000 purse.
Read MoreLast weekend we saw in both the Ruidoso Futurity Trials and Ruidoso Derby Trials a horse make the finals out of the last trial. With today's Mountain Top New Mexico Bred QH Futurity Trials we again saw a runner come out of the last heat of the day to qualify for the finals when Hatchi Zulu for trainer Janell Sanderson posted the
seventh-fastest time of the day with a mild cross-wind in tow.
Heza Classy Now, a New Mexico-bred gelding, led the field of 10 qualifiers with a time of 17.712 on Friday afternoon during the Mountain Top Futurity Trials. The finals for the $350,000 Grade II Mountain Top Futurity for 2-year-old New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses will be held on June 13th at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Read MoreThe second weekend of live racing kicks off with The Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Futurity Trials on Friday, May 29th. On Saturday, The Ruidoso Maiden Stakes races are followed by the first two-year-old thoroughbred race of the meet. Sunday’s action includes a mixed maiden race, several good allowance events, and the second running of the Dash for Speed Stakes for fillies and mares.
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