Racing


Uptown Dynasty Fastest, KVN Corona Undefeated After Ruidoso Derby Trials on Sunday Afternoon
Uptown Dynasty, under champion jockey G.R. Carter, Jr., posting the fastest time for the Grade 1 $759,000 Ruidoso Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Uptown Dynasty Fastest, KVN Corona Undefeated After Ruidoso Derby Trials on Sunday Afternoon

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—MAY 27, 2018—Melvin Neugebauer's Uptown Dynasty overwhelmed a very deep trial to set the fastest qualify time and Keith Nellesen's champion KVN Corona is now nine-for-nine following the 10 trials to the Grade 1, $759,000 Ruidoso Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

Trainer Rodolfo Valles qualified four horses for the Ruidoso Derby, headed by second-fastest qualifier Jess Move You. The other Valles-trained qualifiers are sixth-fastest qualifier She Ate Fire, seventh-fastest qualifier Hierarchy and 10-fastest qualifier Prince Of Bo Dash.

The three-year-olds with the 10-fastest trial times advance to the Ruidoso Derby while the horses with the next 10-fastest times gain priority to race in the $100,000 Mr Jess Perry. Both races are on June 9.

The first trial was the strong trial with the nine competitors earning nearly $2.9 million and the race included four 2017 Grade 1 $3 million All American Futurity qualifiers, including winner Fly Baby Fly.

Uptown Dynasty humbled the Grade 1-stakes class field and every horse running in later trials chased his time. None caught him.

KVN Corona, under jockey Jesus Ayala, and Prince
Of Bo Dash (outside) qualifying from the fifth trial on Sunday. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
A gelding by Mr Jess Perry from the FDD Dynasty mare Southern Dynasty, Uptown Dynasty broke alertly from the inside post position and then steadily drew away from the class-filled field to win by three-and-three-quarter lengths. His time of :20.116 stood up as the top qualifying time.

Champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. was on Uptown Dynasty for the first time in a race. "I could tell he was giving it all to me," said Carter. "He ran a flawless race. He ran as good as he looks.

"I watched replays of all of his races last year, so I felt like I knew him."

A year ago Uptown Dynasty moved to the top of his crop when he finished in a dead heat for the win in the Grade 1, $800,000 Ruidoso Futurity for trainer Wes Giles. The gelding went on to finish second to Eagle Jazz in the Grade 1, $1 million Rainbow Futurity and was sixth in the All American Futurity.

Jess Move You and Time To Jazz battle for the second and third fastest times in the seventh trial.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
If he wins the Ruidoso Derby he will become the second horse to take the Ruidoso Futurity-Ruidoso Derby double. Champion Heartswideopen performed the feat in 2007-2008.

KVN Corona made his Ruidoso Downs debut in the fifth trial after being supplemented to the trials for $30,000. The high-profile son of Corona Cartel was the 2017 champion two-year-old colt and was eight-for-eight at Los Alamitos before making his first start at more than 6,000 feet of altitude in the Ruidoso Derby trials.

In the highly anticipated trial, KVN Corona showed his championship form with a three-quarter-length victory as the 2-5 favorite. He easily covered the 400 yards in :20.206 for the fourth-fastest qualifying time.

Paint On Canvas, under jockey Rodrigo Vallejo, qualifying
in the third trial. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
"The wind came up and this win is a relief," said Nellesen. "The money is not important. It's getting the ninth win for the horse." A 10th consecutive win would be worth $318,780 to the colt's earnings.

The earner of nearly $685,000 and the winner of the Grade 1, $960,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity, KVN Corona has a champion's demeanor.

"They don't get any easier than him," said Lisa Saumell, who runs trainer Paul Jones' operation in New Mexico. "He walks out on the track (in the morning), stands for 10 minutes looking at the mountains, he enjoys his gallop and then stops again on the way back and looks at the mountains for another 10 minutes."

She Eat Fire, under champion jockey Ricky Ramiez, qualifying with the sixth fastest time in trial nine.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
KVN Corona's dam also produced the fifth fastest qualifier Paint On Canvas, a daughter of leading sire Pyc Paint Your Wagon racing for owner La Feliz Montana Ranch, LLC and trainer Trey Ellis. McColee Land & Livestock LLC bred both horses in Utah.

The Jones stable also qualified Eyes The Favorite, who was second to Hierarchy in their trial.

Valles scored his most important win of the afternoon in the seventh trial when Jess Move You, owned by Ricardo Bernal and Reymundo Resendez, won by a neck with the second-fastest time of :20.154.

Hierarchy (#3) and Eyes The Favorite (#10) qualifying from the eighth trial. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
The gelding by Apollitical Jess was in top form after winning the Animas Stakes at SunRay Park by one-and-one-quarter lengths in his previous start.

"My godfather Jesus Carrete had him and sent him to me," said Valles. "He said he was a runner. He's sound and looks like the real deal."

Augustin Silva was aboard for the trial win.

Champion jockey Ricky Ramirez qualified four horses into the final and two head for the $100,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes.

CLICK HERE for the complete list of Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby qualifiers with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys.

For a list of the second ten fastest qualifiers from each day who are eligible for the $100,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes CLICK HERE.

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