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Ruidoso Downs Opens 2022 Meet With 30 Ruidoso Futurity Trials on Friday and Saturday
Undefeated President's Open Spring Futurity winner Laveen Eagle will get things underway in the opening trial Friday when he starts for owner Ricardo Ramirez.

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Ruidoso Downs Opens 2022 Meet With 30 Ruidoso Futurity Trials on Friday and Saturday

BY MARTHA CLAUSSEN

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—MAY 24, 2022—Ruidoso Downs Racetrack opens its 47-day race meet on Friday with 15 trials for the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). On Saturday, May 28, another 15  trials will be contested, each at the distance of 350 yards. 

The top five qualifiers from each day will meet in the $1-million Ruidoso Futurity final on June 12.

Post time for both days is 12:00 pm (MDT) and purses for each trial remain at $8,000.

The first trial on Friday’s opening day features the undefeated Laveen Eagle, winner of the $73,912 AQRA Presidents Open Spring Futurity on April 27 at Turf Paradise. The colt by One Dashing Eagle was supplemented by owner Ricardo Ramirez and will break from post ten under rider Emilio Tapia.

Ruidoso Downs hosted 19 schooling races on May 10 and 11 and the top two juveniles from the second day of the 300-yard heats will make their racing debut on opening day.

Cashing AJ, son of leading sire Apollitical Jess, posted the fastest time from 19 Ruidoso Downs schooling races contested on May 11. The Oklahoma-bred gelding crossed the wire in:15.979 seconds; the fastest clocking of 110 juveniles entered in the second day of competition. Owned by Steve Holt, Rodrigo Vallejo has the call for trainer M. Heath Taylor in Friday’s fourth trial and drew post four.

Rosenthal Ranch, LLC’s Cyber Attack, son of leading sire Favorite Cartel, posted the second fastest clocking of :16.010 seconds. Bred by Steve D. Burns, DVM, Cyber Attack is trained by Christopher O’Dell, the $400,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate will break from post position seven in the third trial under jockey Eduardo Nicasio.

In Friday’s sixth trial, Slim Shaydee will make his third start of 2022 for owner Louis A. Trey Malechek, III. The Oklahoma-bred by Ivory James broke his maiden ta Remington Park on April 14 for trainer Santos Carrizales, Jr. and rider Juan Pulido. They top the AQHA leader board, in the trainer and jockey standings, as of May 24.

War Revenant, owned by the partnership of Shaun Hubbard, Ray Willis and Javier Rodriguez, was an impressive schooling race winner on May 11, getting the second fastest time of the day :15.918 seconds. Xavier Rodriguez conditions the $160,000 Ruidoso Select Sale graduate.

Bred in Louisiana by Grant Farms, LLC, War Revenant is the son of leading second-crop sire A Revenant is from the Splash Bac mare Fantasy Pants. He drew post four in Friday’s 11th trial under rider Felipe Garcia-Luna. 

Ruidoso Futurity Trials – Day 2

Another 15 trials will  be contested on Saturday. Heros  R Famous, a $175,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase by Apx Racing and Kay Bird, will run in the second trial. Bred in Utah by McColee Land & Livestock, LLC, the colt by Valiant Hero is trained by Clint Crawford and will break from post 3 with Jorge Torres up.

In the sixth trial, Wirth The Wait, owned by J & SM, Inc., will make his third career start with Noe Garcia, Jr. in the saddle. The son of One Famous Eagle exits a fifth-place finish in the $217,000 West Texas Futurity on April 3 at Sunland Park. Fred Danley trains the gelding bred by McColee Land & Livestock, LLC out of the Stoli mare Trendi.

Above All V posted the fourth fastest clocking of :15.979 winning his trial on May 10. Trainer M. Heath Taylor saddled the $48,000 Ruidoso Select Sale graduate for owner Cream Of The Crop, Inc.

The bay colt will compete in Saturday’s tenth trial, breaking from post five under Rodrigo Vallejo. He is sired by Corona Cartel from the Good Reason SA mare Rock Candy SA.

The second dam is the stakes winning Leaving Memories mare Send Me The Candy, the dam of eight black type including Grade 1 winner Send Me A Candy Tree. This is the family of champion and leading sire Jess Good Candy.

Also, 2021 AQHA Champion trainer Jason Olmstead has two entrants running in Saturday’s trials. Tom Maher’s Bolt of Action V will break from the far outside post under Edwin G. Escobedo in the third heat.

Bred in Oklahoma by Valeriano Racing LLC, the colt by One Famous Eagle made two starts at Remington Park, most recently running second in a $22,000 allowance. In the 11th trial, he will saddle Corona Seven, who also exits two starts at Remington Park.

Brenda Reiswig bred and owns the gelded son of Corona Cartel out of the Her Sweet Choice.

The 2022 live racing season at Ruidoso Downs runs from May 27 – September 5. All Ruidoso Downs races can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.