ALBUQUERQUE, NM–JULY 25, 2024–New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses who were part of the Zia Festive program that got canceled at Ruidoso Downs last weekend due to flooding will run in makeup races Saturday and Sunday at The Downs at Albuquerque.

SATURDAY (TENTH RACE)
ZIA QUARTER HORSE DERBY (RG2)
Purse, $167,171 — 400 yards
3-year-olds
Solid, a son of Big Daddy Cartel racing for Pierre and Lesile Amestoy and the fastest qualifier, drew post 3 for Saturday’s Zia Quarter Horse Derby.

Solid will be facing stakes company for the first time off of his nose victory in the third of four Zia Derby trials on July 6. The homebred gelding has banked $44,079 from three starts.

Solid will be ridden by Adrian Ramos for trainer Wes Giles.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Crispyn (Esgar Ramirez), 5-2
2. Daddysqueenofalice (Noe Garcia Jr.), 6-1
3. Solid (Adrian Ramos), 7-2
4. Black Jack Patriot (Jacob Enriquez), 20-1
5. Grafity (Luis Martinez), 10-1
6. Bad King (Francisco Calderon), 8-1
7. Royal Post (Emilio Tapia), 10-1
8. Bigg Curlie Bill (Sergio Becerra Jr.), 30-1
9. Chicka Boom Babe (Bryan Candanosa), 10-1
10. The Big Daddy (Ricky Ramirez), 30-1

SUNDAY (SEVENTH RACE)
ZIA QUARTER HORSE JUVENILE STAKES (R)
Purse, $50,000 — 400 yards
2-year-olds
Ocean Bridge heads a field of 12 New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds entered back in Sunday’s Zia Juvenile Stakes.

A $260,000 yearling purchase at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Sale, Ocean Bridge is trained by Trey Wood for owner Paragon Farms LLC. The sorrel son of Woodbridge is a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Mister Riptide.

Ocean Bridge Drew post 8 and will be ridden by Ricky Ramirez.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Cue Daddy (James Flores), 20-1
2. Corona For Jesse (Agustin Silva), 20-1
3. Lyme Light (Christian Cardenas), 6-1
4. Bigg Al (Christian Ramos), 15-1
5. Two Macho For You (Noe Garcia Jr.), 8-1
6. Bout Damn Time (Adrian Ramos), 12-1
7. Boot Scoots (Jose Enriquez), 9-2
8. Ocean Bridge (Ricky Ramirez), 7-2
9. W R Cactus Candy (Francisco R. Ramirez Jr.), 10-1
10. Ms Jessie Mason (Jacob Enriquez), 5-1
11. AE-Big Fantasy (Raul A. Valenzuela), 30-1
12. AE-JM Ferrari Lane (Ali Rivera), 30-1

SUNDAY (NINTH RACE)
ZIA QUARTER HORSE FUTURITY (RG1)
Purse, $368,451 — 400 yards
2-year-olds
Harken, a graded stakes winning son of Eye Am King and a $145,000 purchase at last year’s Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, is one of 10 New Mexico-bred juveniles entered in Saturday’s Zia Futurity.

Harken has won his last three outs, including the 350-yard, $351,000 Mountain Top Futurity (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs on June 16. The sorrel gelding drew post 9 and will be ridden by Sergio Becerra Jr. for owner Ernesto Soto and trainer Marco Flores.

CHR Racing’s Woody Rocks has also won his last three starts, and he set the fastest qualifying time with his 2 1/2-length victory in the 12th of 13 trials on July 5. The stakes-winning son of Woodbridge was a $25,000 yearling buy at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Sale.

Woody Rocks drew post 8 and will be ridden by Christian Ramos for trainer Tony Sedillo.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Macho Daddys Girl (Noe Garcia Jr.), 30-1
2. Suspicious Runner (Luis Martinez), 20-1
3. Alamos (James Flores), 4-1
4. KJ Bad Moon Rising (Adrian Ramos), 5-2
5. Three Finger Jack (Ricky Ramirez), 10-1
6. Mendel (Francisco Calderon), 10-1
7. Big Jessie (Ali Rivera), 30-1
8. Woody Rocks (Christian Ramos), 8-1
9. Harken (Sergio Becerra Jr.), 7-2
10. HS Danger Weapon (Jacob Enriquez), 6-1

SUNDAY (TWELFTH RACE)
ZIA 870 CHAMPIONSHIP (R)
Purse, $50,000 — 870 yards
3-year-old & older
Morning-line favorite Freedom Flash leads a group of six state-bred distance specialists entered in Sunday’s Zia 870 Championship Stakes.

A homebred 8-year-old First Moonflash gelding trained by Todd Fincher for owners Pierre and Leslie Amestoy and Roger K. Beasley, Freedom Flash will be making his first start since February 4, when he earned a wire-to-wire, four-length win in the 870-yard, $100,000 Starr Western Wear Stakes (R) at Sunland Park. The gelding has won nine of 36 races — including six of 15 at the 870-yard trip — and he has banked $603,627, of which $401,110 has been earned in 870 races.

Freedom Flash drew post 2 and will be ridden by Christian Ramos.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Classy Moon (Ricky Ramirez), 5-2
2. Freedom Flash (Christian Ramos), 2-1
3. Heza Classy Now (Bryan Candanosa), 12-1
4. Hynson (Omar Iturralde), 8-1
5. Jess A Royal (Gerardo Vera), 15-1
6. Senor Cartel (Irwin Rosendo), 7-2

The Zia Futurity(RG1), Zia QH Derby, Zia QH Juvenile, Zia 870 Championship, and all the Downs at Albuquerque races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.