RUIDOSO - The field for the Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity has been filled after a two-day weekend of trial heats were held at Ruidoso Downs.
After a total of 32 trial races, the five fastest qualifiers from Friday’s and Saturday’s races are automatically entered for the world’s richest quarter horse race, which serves as the main event on a stakes-filled program on closing day at the facility, Monday, Sept. 4.
A total of 16 trial races were held on both Friday and Saturday, all at the distance of 440 yards. The top 10 finalists will all be entered to compete in the third and final leg of quarter horse racing’s prestigious Triple Crown.
TYKHE Racing, LLC’s Dark NME may be the next superstar in the sport of quarter horse racing, running her lifetime unbeaten streak to six straight wins and becoming one of the fastest qualifiers for the $3 million All American Futurity when trials were held over the weekend at Ruidoso Downs.
The daughter of Hes Relentless, already a two-time stakes winner with earnings of more than $775,000, easily beat her eight rivals in Friday’s 10th trial heat of the day, one of 16 races which determine the entrants for the world’s richest quarter horse race, which will be run for the 65th time on Monday, Sept. 4.
Dark NME raced the 440 yards in a final time of 21.101 seconds under jockey Francisco Calderon, nearly two-fifths of a second faster than runner-up Devastating. The top three finishers from that trial heat, including third-place finisher Aj Precious Jewel, all finished within the five fastest qualifiers at the end of the first day of trials. All three of them will be automatically entered to the All American Derby, the final leg of quarter horse racing’s Triple Crown.
In addition to the top three finishers from that trial heat, Wootan Racing’s Sandstone Mountain, winner of Friday’s eighth trial heat, also earned a spot in the starting gate for the All American Futurity. The Texas-bred daughter of Tempting Dash rolled to a 2½- length win under jockey Bryan Candanosa for trainer Toby Keeton. Her final time of 21.416 seconds was good enough to be the fourth fastest qualifier on Friday’s card.
Flyin Rabbit 123, also trained by Keeton and owned by Louis A. Trey Malechek, III, earned the fifth fastest qualifying time on Friday when he rolled to a 2¾-length win under jockey Juan Pulido and stopped the clock with a time of 21.454 seconds.
Prior to Friday’s trial score, Dark NME scored an impressive win in the Rainbow Futurity over this course on July 16. That day, she shattered the track record, racing 400 yards in a time of 19.028 seconds, bettering the previous mark of 19.149 seconds, set by Empressum on May 30, 2021.
Trained by Santos Carrizales Jr., Dark NME has won each of her six lifetime starts by a combined margin of 15 lengths, an average margin of victory of 2½ lengths per start.
West Texas Racing Partners’ Cowboys Gun Z earned a spot in the starting gate for the All American Futurity when he won his trial heat on Saturday, breaking his maiden in the process for trainer Michael Joiner.
The Oklahoma-bred son of Flying Cowboy 123, Cowboys Gun Z won his trial heat under by a length over post-time favorite Irish Seis, taking first in the ninth of 16 trials held on Saturday. Winning for the first time in three career starts, Cowboys Gun Z crossed the finish line with a time of 21.576 seconds.
The win is the first for Cowboys Gun Z, who had finished second in trial heats for the Ruidoso Futurity when making his career debut on May 26, then was second again in a trial for the Rainbow Futurity on June 30. In his debut, he was second behind Dark NME, who is considered the favorite for the All American Futurity.
Joiner, who is in a tight race atop the trainer standings this season at Ruidoso Downs, just one win behind co-leaders Heath Taylor and Eric Valenzuela, has saddled 18 winners this season. Joiner has trained more than 930 winners in his career, including Grade 1 stakes winners like Fdd Dynasty, winner of the 2006 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif.
Cowboys Gun Z was ridden to victory by Agustin Silva, who has more than 760 winners in his career, including stakes victories aboard San Lorenzo Tay, winner of the 2021 Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Futurity.
Among the other qualifiers from Saturday’s action were Trane Station V and Cuz Lightyear, the top two finishers in the 10th trial heat.
Trane Station V, also trained by Carrizales and ridden by Calderon, was a no-threat second behind Dark NME in the Rainbow Futurity last month. Owned by Valeriano Racing Stables, LLC., Trane Station V won for the second time in four career starts and earned the third-fastest qualifying time of the day with a mark of 21.645 seconds.
Cuz Lightyear, owned by the Double Bar S Ranch, LLC., will be one of four starters in the field for the All American Futurity trained by Keeton. He also sent out Dashing Tres, who qualified for the race when he won Saturday’s sixth trial of the day.
Corner Pocket 123, owned by J J Racing and trained by Heath Taylor, also qualified for the All American Futurity, winning Saturday’s first trial heat in a time of 21.677 seconds.
In all, 294 horses raced for a bid at the All American Futurity over the course of the weekend. Outside of the five fastest qualifiers from Friday’s and Saturday’s races, the next five fastest runners from those two days will meet in the $200,000 All American Juvenile Stakes, which also will be held on Monday, Sept. 4.
For more information on the All American Futurity trials, check out the listing of qualifers online at stallionesearch.com.
