Stay up to speed on the road to the Triple Crown Tradition and all of the other exciting summer race line-ups with a weekly roundup of all the latest live racing news and developments at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
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Closing day and we saw the best two-year-old quarter horses in the world in the big one and its consolation. First was the All American Juvenile for horses who did not qualify to the All American Futurity.
The story for the first four races, the All American Oaks Trials, wasRatification who won by five lengths in a time of 21.269 with the next-fastest time in the Oaks Trials coming from Kieva in 21.533. Coming off a head victory in the Rainbow Oaks and now having four straight victories, Ratification left no doubt as to who the favorite will be for the AA Oaks in two weeks' time.
The Rio Grande Senorita and Rio Grande Senor were the highlights of this Sunday card and trainer Todd Fincher took home the top prize in both. Comic Hot Toddy dueled outside a rival through pretty quick opening fractions of 21.75 and 44.50 then took charge and drew away under jockey Shane Laviolette to cover five-and-one-half furlongs in 1.03.97 for the Senorita restricted to fillies.
Sunday featured two stakes for quarter horses, the Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial going 1000 yards for three-year-olds and upward and the Mr Jet Moore Handicap going 400 yards also for three-year-olds and
upward.
Zia Festival weekend was chock full of New Mexico-bred stakes action. Friday saw the Rio Grande Senorita and Senor trials for two-year-old thoroughbreds. Trainer Fred Danley came away with a victory in one of the Senorita trials with Fill The Bill, the disqualified winner of the Mountain Top Futurity, and a second-place effort by Bully Baby. Trainer Joel Marr completed the exacta in the first of the Senorita trials when Atill I Chime held off stablemate Speedy Wildcat who made a strong bid inside the former but could not get past.
It 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.
Saturday 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.
Trials 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.
Saturday 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.
Today featured partly cloudy skies, just a moderate wind, and plenty of stakes action. The eighth race kicked off three stakes in a row beginning with the Rita Danley Distaff Stakes for New Mexico-bred QH fillies and mares three years old and up.