RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JUNE 10, 2017—In an amazing race that will be remembered for years and years, Tough To Bee and Magical Jess finished in a dead heat for the win in the Grade 1, $800,000 Ruidoso Derby and third-place finisher High Plains Perry was just a nose behind the two winners on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

Tough To Bee and Magical Jess battled for the 400 yards and High Plains Perry was always in close contact. Tough To Bee and Magical Jess finished on equal terms in :19.925 for the 400 yards.

High Plains Perry almost got up to get the win in the race that could have been easily taken by any of the top-three finishers.

It took eight minutes for the stewards to determine the order of finish.

Thomas Lipar’s Paragon Farms LLC owns Tough To Bee and High Plains Perry. They are two of the four horses that trainer Trey Wood qualified for the Ruidoso Derby.

Tough To Bee, a gelding by Apollitical Jess, gained the Grade 1 win that he has been chasing for 10 starts. In his previous nine starts, the gelding recorded four wins, a pair of seconds and two thirds.

He won the $62,000 Mr Master Bug Stakes and raced to close thirds in the Grade 1, $1-million Ruidoso Futurity and the Grade 1, $1-million Texas Classic Futurity. The Ruidoso Derby was his third-consecutive win and he is now three-for-three in 2017.

"He is just always the same," said Wood. "He deserves this; he’s earned it."

Jockey Ricky Ramirez was aboard Tough To Bee in his trial and Raul Ramirez Jr. rode him in the Ruidoso Derby. Ramirez qualified each of the four Wood-trained horses and chose to ride High Plains Perry.

Bred in Oklahoma by Jim and Marilyn Helzer, from the Tres Seis mare Peppermint Seis, Tough To Be shared the $240,000 Ruidoso Derby(G1) winners' purse to boost his career mark to $505,726.

Ugo De La Torre’s Magical Jess has a similar story. The gelding by One Sweet Jess has raced at the highest level, yet has never gained a major victory. He was a close second in the Desert Classic Futurity, third in the $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile and fifth in the Grade 1, $3-million All American Futurity.

Magical Jess put it all together in the Ruidoso Derby. "He broke a little slow, but closed the gap," said jockey Jaime Parga Leos, who galloped Magical Jess several times between the trials and the derby.

Bred in California by EG High Desert Farms, Magical Jess has compiled a (8) 4-2-1 record and banked $421,650. He is out of the Red Hot Rhythm mare Magic and Rhythm.

High Plains Perry did everything, except win the Ruidoso Derby. The strapping gelding by Mr Jess Perry was in contention and may be the closest third-place finisher in the history Grade 1 quarter horse racing.

A $100,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, High Plains Perry found trouble in races last summer at Ruidoso Downs and then success during his fall campaign. That culminated with a head win in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity. He suffered only his second career loss with his third-place effort in the Ruidoso Derby(G1) final.

Champion jockey Ricky Ramirez had the riding call after qualifying four head for the derby final for trainer Trey Wood.

Paragon Farms LLC also owns the gelding from the Chicks Beduino mare Sky Chicks. Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches is the breeder. The $80,000 third-place payday boosted the brown gelding's earnings total $535,780.

Completing the field were Firing Tools, Cartelscandymachine, Apolltical Chad, Koolnfamous, Mighty B Cartel, One Hot Habit and Corona Carmelita.

For complete Ruidoso Downs’ information, go to www.raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow the Ruidoso Press Box (@RuiPressBox) on Twitter.