Preview Racing


River Flash Draws Post 10 for $150,000 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Derby
New Mexico Breeders’ Stakes (RG3) winner River Flash will look for this second

© Coady Photography
River Flash Draws Post 10 for $150,000 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Derby

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–JUNE 13, 2022–River Flash, a homebred graded stakes winning Chicks Regard gelding racing for Robert Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey, is one of 10 New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds entered back in Saturday’s 350-yard, $150,000 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Derby (R) at Ruidoso Downs

Trained by Wes Giles, River Flash has won his last two starts, including the 400-yard, $100,000 New Mexico Breeders’ Stakes (RG3) for state-bred sophomores at SunRay Park on April 24. The gray gelding made his local season debut with a half-length victory in one of six Mountain Top Derby trials on June 4.

River Flash has earned $112,584 from eight races. The gelding drew post 10 and will be ridden by Emilio Tapia.

Giles will also send out Legende, a Big Daddy Cartel gelding owned by Jose R. Espinosa and the fastest qualifier. A $53,000 purchase at the 2020 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, Legende is coming off of a 1 1/4-length win in the fourth Mountain Top trial.

Legende drew post 6 and will be ridden by Adrian Ramos.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments:

  1. Lmg First Call (Jose A. Alvarez)
  2. Classy Moon (Noe Garcia Jr.)
  3. Day Thuggin (Jimmy D. Brooks)
  4. Big Crush BB (Jose E. Ortiz)
  5. Hunky McGoo (Justine Klaiber)
  6. Legende (Adrian Ramos)
  7. Run Time (Cordarelton J. Benn)
  8. Flashin The Ivory (Raul A. Valenzuela)
  9. Daddies Wish (Sergio Becerra Jr.)
  10. River Flash (Emilio Tapia)

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

Reprinted Courtesy NMHBA.