RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JUNE 2, 2018—Randy Smith’s homebred C Twister Seis, sent off at 5-1 odds, overcame a slight bobble at the start to win the first running of the $25,000 Dash For Speed Stakes on Saturday afternoon during Red Raider weekend at Ruidoso Downs.

C Twister Seis finished a growing three quarters of a length over 8-5 favorite Carris Cartel and it was another three parts of a length back to third-place finisher American Girl Rocks in the race for fillies and mares.

"She stumbled a little bit," said winning rider Felipe Garcia-Luna. "Then she got up and went on running."

The Mike Joiner-trained C Twister Seis, a $120,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, raced to her second win from four starts this year. The Tres Seis daughter won an optional-claiming race at Sunland Park back in January. She is out of the FDD Dynasty mare D E Bella Vista.

Last year, C Twister Seis qualified for the Grade 1, $1.1 million Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs after winning her trial by one-half length.

Nancy Carrizales’ homebred runner-up Carris Cartel was favored after winning an allowance race at Sam Houston Race Park in her previous start. The daughter of The Louisiana Cartel, from the Strawfly Special mare Shesa Wicked Gypsy, is trained by Marcos Carrizales and ridden by Santos Carrizales.

Armando Diaz Jr.’s third-place finisher American Girl Rocks has moved up from the claiming ranks and enhanced her value with a stakes placing. She was claimed for $5,000 back in July and was third in an optional-claiming race at SunRay Park in her prior start.

Jesse E Ramos trains American Girl Rocks, a daughter of American Runaway, and she was ridden by Sergio Becerra Jr. Reed Land & Cattle Co. LLC bred the filly in Oklahoma from the Shazoom mare Rock N Zoom.

The race is named after world champion Dash For Speed, who won seven grade 1 races at Ruidoso Downs in the late 1980s. She was the second horse to sweep the three Grade 1 derbies at Ruidoso Downs — the Kansas (now Ruidoso) Derby, Rainbow Derby and All American Derby. She is a member of the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame.

The Dash For Cash daughter was trained by Larry Keiter, who traveled from Wichita, Kansas to present the trophy. "It was an honor to have her and I am so grateful that there is a race named after her here at Ruidoso Downs," said Keiter. "It’s wonderful."

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