Challenge


Best Behavior In Contentious John Deere Juvenile Trials on Friday
Norma Blazer’s Best Behavior will start in Friday's $59,850 John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge trials.

© Dusitn Orona Photography
Best Behavior In Contentious John Deere Juvenile Trials on Friday

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 10, 2017—Norma Blazer’s Best Behavior, a winner of two of three starts, leads a contentious set of six trials to the $59,850 John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge on Friday afternoon, July 14, at Ruidoso Downs.

The Friday program starts the three day per week schedule at Ruidoso Downs. Racing will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

There is an exception this weekend to the usual 1 p.m. first post time. On Saturday, the first post time is noon with 14 races, highlighted by the trials to the $370,821 Zia Futurity and the $176,006 Zia Derby.

The 10-fastest qualifiers from the 350-yard John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge trials advance to the John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge on July 29. The winner of the John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge qualifies for the Grade 2, $130,000 John Deere Challenge Championship on October 14 at Prairie Meadows.

Best Behavior brings a winning resume and stakes experience into the second John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge trial, the sixth race. The $8,500 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase has proven to be a bargain. The Jess Lips daughter won her Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity trial in her career debut and returned to finish fourth in the $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile.

The Clint Crawford-trained Best Behavior made her Ruidoso Downs’ debut in a conditioned allowance race and rallied to win by a head at 330 yards as the 3-2 favorite. That is her most recent start.

Omar Reyes rides Best Behavior from the second post position.

Nancy McCoy’s homebred Nsm Strong Heart, a $30,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, stands out in the first trial, the fifth race. The daughter of Pyc Paint Your Wagon has made two starts at Remington Park. She was second in a maiden race and then made a big step forward with a one-and-three-quarter-length win in her trial to the Grade 1, $1.1-million Heritage Place Futurity.

Trainer Charley Hunt will have Jorge Torres ride Nsm Strong Heart with the fifth post position.

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.