RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—AUGUST 14, 2018—The 11 trials to the Grade 1, $1,237,604 All American Derby get off to a hot start in the first trial with reigning champion two-year-old Kvn Corona meeting Grade 1, $802,000 Rainbow Derby third-place finisher Papaws Paint on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

The All American Derby offers the largest derby purse in quarter horse racing.

First post time is 1 p.m. for the program filled with 440-yard trials. There is always free parking and free general admission at Ruidoso Downs.

The field quality continues throughout the afternoon with Ruidoso Derby winner Jess Move You, Ruidoso Derby runner-up Cartel Cupid, Texas Classic Futurity winner Hotstepper, All American Futurity winner Fly Baby Fly and the dangerous Wes Giles-trained pair of Ruidoso Futurity winner Uptown Dynasty and Zia Derby winner Bigg Daddy.

Keith Nellesen's Kvn Corona, a $140,000 Ruidoso Select Sale purchase, was the nation's premier two-year-old last year after reeling off six wins from six starts for trainer Paul Jones. All of his starts were at Los Alamitos Race Course. He won the Grade 1, $960,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity and the Grade 2, $382,200 PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity.

A son of Corona Cartel, Kvn Corona kept his winning streak going this year when he won the Grade 3, $235,000 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos before shipping to Ruidoso Downs. He made his Ruidoso Downs' debut in the trials to the Grade 1, $759,000 Ruidoso Derby. That was pushed his record to nine-for-nine, however he faced his only setback in the Ruidoso Derby when he finished eighth.

"He's doing really well," said Lisa Saumell, manager of Jones' New Mexico operation. "He needed more time on the mountain to fully acclimate so we skipped the Rainbow (Derby).

"He's really intelligent. We stood him in the gate and he didn't move a foot."

RH Resources Papaws Paint is a small horse who gives his all in each race, according to trainer Todd Fincher, the top thoroughbred trainer at Ruidoso Downs in wins and money earned.

Papaws Paint is in top condition after his third-place run in the Rainbow Derby. The gelding by leading sire Pyc Paint Your Wagon won last fall's Grade 2, $214,966 Hobbs America Futurity for his sole stakes win.

Kvn Corona starts from the second post position with Ramon Sanchez aboard while Papaws Paint drew the seventh post position and will have regular rider Bonifacio Perez up.

Kvn Corona was supplemented to the All American Derby trials for $50,000 and one of the other three supplemental entrants was Ruidoso Derby winner Jess Move You.

The other two supplements are Pyc Fun N Fancy, a colt by Pyc Paint Your Wagon and Dashnunder Afullmoon, a daughter of Heza Fast Dash.

Ricardo Bernal and Remundo Resendez's Jess Move You showed his talent when he won the Grade 1, $759,000 Ruidoso Derby for trainer Rodolfo "Rudy" Valles.

Valles, 24, also won the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Ruidoso Futurity and is believed to be the second-youngest trainer to win a Grade 1 race. Trainer Trey Wood won the 2010 Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity when he was 23-years-old. Valles-trained quarter horses have earned $982,041 this summer at Ruidoso Downs to be second on the earnings list to Blane Wood ($1,083,290).

Jess Move You, a gelding by Apollitical Jess, came back after the Ruidoso Derby win to finish second to eventual Rainbow Derby first-place runner Political Attraction in their Rainbow Derby trial. Jess Move You lost any chance of the Rainbow Derby win when he tossed his head at the start, was last out of the gate and lost his running lane. He finished seventh.

Jose Amador Alvarez rides Jess Move You in the fifth trial from the inside post position, the same post position he had for his Ruidoso Derby win.

Trainer Giles is well represented with Melvin Neugebauer's Uptown Dynasty and Too For Too's Bigg Daddy.

Uptown Dynasty has been a warrior with a dead heat win in last year's Ruidoso Futurity, finishing second in the Rainbow Futurity, qualifying for the All American Futurity and the Ruidoso Derby, all Grade 1. In his most recent start he won the $100,000 Corona Cartel as the 4-5 favorite.

The Mr Jess Perry-sired Uptown Dynasty drew the fifth post position in the sixth race and G.R. Carter Jr. will be aboard.

Bigg Daddy is a force against New Mexico-bred and open competition.

A $25,000 Ruidoso Select Sale purchase, Bigg Daddy defeated New Mexico-breds in last year's $371,000 Zia Futurity and then finished second as the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1, $3,000,000 All American Futurity.

The son of leading third-crop sire Big Daddy Cartel is trying to pull off the derby double of the Zia Derby and the All American Derby.

After taking the winter off following the All American Futurity, Bigg Daddy returned in the trials to the Zia Derby and won by three-quarters-of-a-length as the 2-5 favorite. He had to fight to a head win in the $190,937 Zia Derby on July 29.

Carter also has the mount on Bigg Daddy with the 10th post position in the seventh trial.

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