Today 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.
Read MoreTim Keithley picks five runners to pay attention to in Friday's Zia Futurity.
Read MoreTrials for the inaugural Rainbow Oaks took place in races one through four today. The fourth and final saw the triumphant return of Fernweh, winner of the 2019 Ruidoso Futurity. Jockey Ricky Ramirez never uncocked his stick and she strolled to win by two-and-a-half in 21.350. That time was not the fastest for the fillies-only trials, which went to Ratification the trial prior who dominated in 21.293.
Read MoreThe field is now set for the Rainbow Derby finals, and it came down to the final trial heat to get the fastest qualifier of the day. The filly Hotsempting showed the boys on the track how to get it done when she charged down the middle of the track and ran a lightning-fast time of 21.281 in an impressive performance.
Read MoreRatification turned in the fastest qualifying time out of four heats in today’s first-ever Rainbow Oaks trials at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Under cloudy skies with a slight tailwind, 32 fillies took to the track in the all-new division that was created this season for the Rainbow and All American Derby series to enhance the value of fillies and give them a greater chance of winning later in their 3-year-old career.
Read MoreOn Day Two of Rainbow Futurity trials, as it was on Day One, the sixth race proved to be stacked with speed. Wryker, a Texas-bred gelding, blazed a 400-yard trail to the wire and clocked:19.524, the fastest qualifying time over the two days. Packsaddle Senator, the fifth-place finisher in the Ruidoso Futurity, also qualified from that race with a time of:19.685.
Read MoreThe weather today was fairly constant with a moderate tailwind or minor cross-wind throughout the day. Clouds came and went, the temperature went up and down. But after the seventh race, not a single horse through the remaining half of the card was able to crack the top five fastest times, though in the finale HR Princess Jess ran a dynamite race to just miss that mark.
Read MoreThe first day of trials for the GI $1 Million Rainbow Futurity, the second leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown, started off with a bang and did not disappoint. Ruidoso Futurity winner, Cyber Monday, ran in the first heat and blazed the 400-yards with a full head of steam, crossing the wire in:19.838. This time held until the eleventh race when the sorrel gelding, Mister Illusion charged down the track with a time of:19.780.
Read MoreWe started the day with a mild crosswind, had a headwind in the third race, back to crosswind for a couple of races before a strong tailwind in the middle part of the day, back to a mild crosswind for the remainder with a brief rain shower in only the 13th race. So, fairly typical and variable weather of Ruidoso. The five fastest times from today's trials will proceed to the finals.
Read MoreThe race card this weekend at Ruidoso Downs features three days of trials highlighting some of the fastest 2-year-old and 3-year-old Quarter Horses in the industry, and they will all be running against the clock. Almost 300 2-year-olds will run in 30-time trial heats vying for a spot in the GI $1 Million Rainbow Futurity, the second leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown on Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s card features a time trial double-header with 72 head running for a chance at the $700,000 Rainbow Derby, and 32 mares and fillies competing for a spot in the inaugural $300,000 Rainbow Oaks.
Read MoreTim Keithley picks five runners to pay attention to in Sunday’s Rainbow Derby/Oaks Trials.
Read MoreTim Keithley picks five runners to pay attention to in Saturday’s Trials for the $1 Million Rainbow Futurity.
Read MoreTim Keithley picks five runners to pay attention to in Friday’s trials for the $1 million Rainbow Futurity.
Read MoreThe Rainbow Futurity, Rainbow Derby, and newly-created Rainbow Oaks trials are upon us, and there's no shortage of good horses lining up this weekend to contest 30 total trials for the Futurity on Friday and Saturday, as well as 8 Derby trials and 4 Oaks trials on Sunday.
Read More2021 is the second running of the Rainbow Oaks. This brand new division of the Rainbow Derby and All American Derby is designed specifically to give 3-year-old fillies the chance to run against each other. $250,000
Read MoreSaturday had mostly cloudy weather throughout the day, but as horses were getting ready to come on the track for the 9th race lightning strikes were nearby and then a large hail storm came down, postponing that event. After the weather died down things got back on track and the 10th race, albeit delayed, showcased stakes horses three-year-olds and upward going 350 yards.
Read MoreHaving raced just last weekend and running second after stumbling out of the gate, Shanghai Keely crossed the wire ahead of the field in today’s running of the $40,000 First Lady Handicap at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Facing a slight headwind on the homestretch of the 6-furlong race, the filly held off a late charge from the field to finish with a time of 1:09.67.
Read MoreSC Money Maker left the gate and never looked back today in the Grade II Higheasterjet Handicap at Ruidoso Downs Race Track. The Mike Robbins-trained gelding ran the 350 yards in a speedy:17.25 to capture the $24,000 winner’s share of the $40,000 purse. The win came after a lengthy delay caused by thundershowers and lightning in the area after which the race was run on a sealed track.
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