RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 22, 2019— The racing at the annual Zia Festival begins on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs with five stakes races, highlighted by 2017 All American Futurity runner-up Bigg Daddy competing in the $50,000 Zia Handicap over 400 yards.

Zia Festival racing resumes on Sunday with the $433,129 Zia Futurity and the $190,937 Derby, offering the two largest purses of the Zia Festival.

The Zia Festival celebrates New Mexico and is one of the most popular weekends of the Ruidoso Downs racing season. There will be numerous vendors featuring New Mexico products in the grandstand and in a large tent outside the grandstand. There will also be a play area for children. The tent and grandstand open at 11 a.m.

On Saturday night at 8 p.m., Jake Hooker and the Outsiders will be performing on the race track. Tickets are $10 or $5 with a Dr Pepper can.

In addition to the Zia Handicap (eighth race) for older quarter horses, the $50,000 Sierra Blanca Handicap (ninth race), the $50,000 Sierra Starlet (fifth race), the $50,000 By By JJ (sixth race) and the $20,000 Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial (seventh race) will be offered.

Too For Two's Bigg Daddy thrives at Ruidoso Downs. He has scored all of his seven career wins from nine total starts at Ruidoso Downs. Among those wins was the $370,820 Zia Futurity.

In his other two Ruidoso Downs appearances, Bigg Daddy was second in the Grade 1, $3-million All American Futurity as the 8-5 favorite and third in the $392,522 Mountain Top Futurity.

Bigg Daddy, who has earned $752,268, makes his third start off a layoff in the Zia Handicap with his two previous outs at SunRay Park. He had issues in each race. He started in an open allowance race on a sloppy track and lost a shoe, finishing eighth, and returned in a conditioned allowance race to hop at the start and lose all chance, finishing in a dead heat for fifth.

"He's done well on this track," trainer Wes Giles said. "I'm hoping he still likes it here.

"He's doing well and we'll see."

Bigg Daddy drew the inside post position and Tanner Thedford picks up the mount.

Jimmy Negrete and Jimmy Vasquez's Ryansmanonthemoon is the 5-2 morning-line favorite after winning his latest three races for trainer Cynthia Gonzalez.

Ryansmanonthemoon is the hot horse. He won the $211,000 Shue Fly Stakes and the $85,000 NMHBA Stakes at Sunland Park. The gelding then came to Ruidoso Downs and took a $22,400 allowance race.

Mauro Salcedo rides Ryansmanonthemoon from the fifth post position.

Sierra Blanca Handicap
Five-and-one-half furlongs
Three-year-old and older New Mexico-bred thoroughbreds

Michael Weatherly's homebred Four Star Saint won the $30,000 Ruidoso Sprint Handicap at five-and-one-half furlongs in his latest start. The Simon Buechler-trained gelding made a wide move on the turn to prevail by a neck.

Four Star Saint won a conditioned allowance race before his win in the Sprint Handicap.

Luis H. Rodriguez has been aboard for those two wins and retains the mount with the sixth post position.

Sierra Starlet Handicap
Five-and-one-half furlongs
Three-year-old New Mexico-bred fillies

R.D. Hubbard and Shaun Hubbard's Flight Song along with Philip Wood and Jim Hailey's Precious Looker, the top-two finishers in the Petticoat Stakes at Albuquerque Downs on July 6, are set for a rematch.

In the Petticoat Stakes on a sloppy track, Flight Song took the lead in the stretch and was able to hold off Precious Looker by three quarters of a length for the win. Precious Looker made a wide move on the turn to threaten the winner.

Trainer Todd Fincher has named Alfredo J. Juarez to ride Flight Song from the sixth post position.

Miguel T. Fuentes Jr. is aboard Precious Looker for trainer Gerald Marr from the inside post position.

By By JJ
400 yards
Two-year-old quarter horses who did not qualify for the Zia Futurity

Gary Hartstack's Jess Tequila Talkin narrowly missed qualifying for the Zia Futurity when he raced to the 11th-fastest qualifying time and the horses with the top-10 times qualified for the Zia Futurity. He finished second by a neck in his trial with a :19.849 time for the 400 yards. The Jackie Riddle-trained gelding easily won his maiden in his first start and took a conditioned allowance race in his start before the Zia Futurity trials.

Thedford rides Jess Tequila Talkin with the sixth post position.

Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial
1000 yards
Three-year-old and older thoroughbreds and quarter horses

Sherree Meridyth's consistent quarter horse Executive Trust is the 2-1 morning-line favorite after finishing first or second in four of his latest five starts, all at 870 yards. He gained his win via disqualification in a $44,000 allowance race last fall at Zia Park.

Two starts ago, the Guadalupe Munoz Jr.-trained gelding was second in the $21,973 AQHA Turf Paradise Distance Challenge. He was then a close second in a SunRay Park allowance race.

Jansen Melancon rides Executive Trust from the third post position.

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