RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JUNE 24, 2018—The big boys, including 2016 Ruidoso Futurity winner Apolltical Chad, come out to play in the Grade 3, $50,000 Higheasterjet Handicap and the promising fastest-qualifier Mr Amor Secreto looks to step forward in the $68,940 Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge (see related story) on Saturday afternoon during Military Appreciation weekend at Ruidoso Downs.

Every Saturday at Ruidoso Downs, $1,000 is added to the fifth race trifecta pools. Saturday’s fifth race is a five-furlong maiden race.

First post time is 1 p.m. with the 400-yard Adequan Ruidoso Derby Challenge running as the eighth race and the 350-yard Higheasterjet following as the ninth race.

Nueve Racing’s Apolltical Chad has done his finest work at Ruidoso Downs. He was won four of nine trips over the Ruidoso track and earned $697,900 of his career total of $875,665 at Ruidoso Downs. Most of his Ruidoso earnings came in his second start when he won the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity. He then passed the Rainbow Futurity and finished fourth in the Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity at 4-1 odds.

The Wes Giles-trained Apolltical Chad closed out his three-year-old campaign last year with three consecutive wins under jockey G.R. Carter Jr., capped by a neck win in the Grade 1, $384,355 Texas Classic Derby.

Apolltical Chad, a gelding by Apollitical Jess, had a throw-out run in his only start this year in the Sooner State Stakes at Remington Park.

"It was his first start at Remington Park. He really washed out and didn’t run his race," Carter Jr. said. "He’s been doing well. He’s training like is old self and, hopefully, he runs like his old self."

Carter Jr. will be aboard when they start from the sixth post position.

Paragon Farms’ Tough To Bee and Michael and Beth Harper’s Firing Tools each come out of the Grade 1, $250,000 Remington Park Invitational Championship. Tough To Bee finished fifth and Firing Tools was fourth. Two-time defending world champion Jessies First Down demolished the field while setting a new track record of :20.772 for 440 yards.

Tough To Bee, another gelding by Apollitical Jess, is similar to Apolltical Chad because he also excels at Ruidoso Downs. From nine local starts, he has six wins and has earned $433,447 of his career total of $592,841 at the mountain track.

The Blane Wood-trained Tough To Bee moved to the top of the three-year-old division at Ruidoso Downs when he finished in a dead heat for the win in last year’s Grade 1, $800,000 Ruidoso Derby. He then won the $100,000 First Down Dash on closing weekend of last year’s racing season.

Two starts ago, Tough To Bee finished second to 2017 champion three-year-old Hold Air Hostage’s near track-record run in the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes.

Regular rider Ricky Ramirez will be up on Tough To Bee with the outside post position in the full 10-horse field.

Firing Tools, a $67,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, has had the ill fortune of running against Jessies First Down in his last two starts. He was beaten by two lengths in the Grade 1, $100,000 Leo Stakes and then in the Remington Park Invitational Championship. The gelding by Walk Thru Fire finished second in the Leo Stakes.

Trainer Mike Robbins will have Stormy Smith on Firing Tools with the seventh post position.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For additional Ruidoso Downs information, go to the new raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow Ruidoso Downs on Twitter @RuiPressBox.

For Ruidoso Downs racing news CLICK HERE.