Challenge


Grade 2 Winner Cedar Hill Headlines Friday's John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge Trials
Cedar Hill is on of 73 juveniles entered in the 350-yard John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge (G3) trials at Albuquerque Downs on Friday.

© Los Alamitos
Grade 2 Winner Cedar Hill Headlines Friday's John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge Trials

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

ALBUQUERQUE, NM–JULY 22, 2024–Graded stakes winner Cedar Hill and stakes winner Karmalites are two of the 73 2-year-olds entered in Friday's 350-yard John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge (G3) trials at Albuquerque Downs.

A homebred son of Capo de Capi racing for James Sills and Abel Flores, Cedar Hill will be making his first start since May 12, when he scored a neck victory in the 300-yard, $256,000 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity (G2) at Los Alamitos. Eddie D. Willis trains the Oklahoma-bred gelding.

Cedar Hill drew post 2 and will be ridden by Jimmy Dean Brooks in the fourth of eight trials.

Karmalites has earned $109,122 from five outs in New Mexico, and his two wins include a neck victory in the 350-yard, $215,000 Four Corners Futurity at SunRay Park. David Gomez-Barraza trains the sorrel daughter of The Marfa Lights for owner Fabian Muniz Porras.

Karmalites drew post 3 and will be ridden by Emilio Tapia in the third heat.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the August 17, $75,000-est. John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge final. The winner of the final will earn a berth in the John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2), which will be run October 26 at Albuqeurque Downs.

All Albuquerque Downs races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.