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© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
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.
Of Bo Dash (outside) qualifying from the fifth trial on Sunday. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
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.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
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.
in the third trial. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
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."
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
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.
"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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