ALBUQUERQUE, NM—MAY 31, 2015—Mad About The Moon, a New Mexico-bred graded stakes winner and runner-up to JM Miracle in last year’s $2.6-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, will make his 3-year-old debut in today's (Sunday) Conquistador Stakes at The Downs at Albuquerque.

Mad About The Moon drew post 4 for the 350-yard, $55,000 Conquistador Stakes. The gelded son of First Moonflash has won three of seven starts and has earned $581,719 for his owner, David G. Valdez of Odessa, Texas, who acquired the gelding for $5,000 at the 2013 New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale.

The winner of last year’s $290,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG2) at Zia Park, Mad About The Moon is trained by Salvador Soto. Esgar Ramirez has been named to ride the gelding in the Conquistador.

Other contenders include El Damazo, the runner-up to Tempting Destiny in the March 28, 400-yard West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park, and TF Cajun Cartel, a two-time stakes winner last year in New Mexico and Texas.

The Conquistador Stakes will be the ninth race on The Downs’ 10-race Sunday program. Estimated post time for the stakes is 5:14 p.m. (MDT). The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds -- Lighting McQueen (Raul Herrera), 12-1; Clear Winn (Porfirio Cano), 8-1; Secret Mountain Pass (Hector Aldrete), 8-1; Mad About The Moon (Esgar Ramirez), 3-1; Memoryflash (J. Martin Bourdieu), 10-1; Miracle Kisses (Jose Luis Enriquez), 8-1; Furiousprincess (Albert Medrano), 12-1; Mr Special Cartel (Brayan Velazquez), 10-1; El Damazo (Adrian Ramos), 4-1; and TF Cajun Cartel (Tanner Thedford), 5-1.

NOTES FROM THE DOWNS: Nutty Futty, a graded stakes placed Kentucky-bred colt by Johar owned and trained by Christopher Van Culin, is one of 10 3-year-olds nominated to the June 6, $55,000 Charles Taylor Derby at The Downs. A first-level allowance winner at The Downs on May 8, Nutty Futty has earned $65,256 from nine starts, and his record includes a third-place finish in last year’s $200,000 With Anticipation Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. Other prominent nominees include J. Kirk and Judy Robison’s Where’s The Moon, a stakes-winning Kentucky-bred and runner-up to Firing Line in the March 22, $800,000 Sunland Derby (G3) at Sunland Park, and Black Gold Racing’s Pain And Misery, the runner-up in the May 2, $200,000 Pat Day Mile Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. Both Where’s The Moon and Pain And Misery are trained by Henry Dominguez. Entries for the Charles Taylor Derby will be drawn on Saturday.