Page 64 - September 2022

ALL AMERICAN FUTURITY • RUIDOSO DOWNS, NEW MEXICO
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CHASING AJ si 94, $104,400
Race Record: 5-3-0-0 • Day 2, Trial #16, 1st • Chasing AJ draws off to win his trial by 1 1/2-lengths for the second fastest qualifying time from day 2.
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C C U U R R L L S S J J O OY Y F F U U L L W WA AG G O O N N s i 9 1 , $ 6 9 , 3 8 4
Race Record: 5-3-0-0 • Day 2, Trial #2, 1st • Curls Joyful Wagon is never headed and finishes with a 1 1/2-length winning margin as the third fastest qualifier from day 2.
Chasing AJ broke his maiden in his first start on May 27 in the Ruidoso Futurity trials where he made a wire-to-wire run as the fastest qualifier to the $1,000,000 Grade 1 main event. In those, however, he broke tardy and made an even run but finished in fifth place. Next were the trials to the Rainbow Futurity where he scored
a victory by 2 1/2-lengths and qualified to the $1,000,000 Grade 1 finals. In those, he once again broke late and finished a distant eighth.
Chasing AJ was in the final trial to the All American Futurity and he didn’t disappoint. He broke second from the 9-gate and imme-
diately grabbed a 1/2-length lead at the first call. He was a length ahead at the top of the stretch and finished pulling away by
1 1/2-lengths at the wire for the second fastest qualifying time from day 2 of the trials. The gray gelding was bred by
Don Griffin Jr. in Oklahoma, and was purchased at the 2021 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale by Steve A. Holt, who co-owns him with Charles B. Cox, Jack W. Powers, and Roger Moore. Chasing AJ has been conditioned by M. Heath Taylor and ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo in all his starts.
Curls Joyful Wagon won her first start on April 2 in the trials to the Remington Park Futurity, scoring a nose victory but failing to qualify to the finals. She then entered the gates for the Easy Jet Stakes where she could not overcome a late break and finished eighth.
Next, the brown filly scored a 3/4-length win in her trial to the Rainbow Futurity, and she qualified to the $1,000,000 Grade 1 finals. In those, she broke fourth from the gates and ran an even race to fin- ish sixth.
In her fifth start, Curls Joyful Wagon stepped into the 4-gate for
the All American Futurity trials. She broke on the lead and was never headed. She had 1/2-length at the first call, a length at the top of the stretch, and she finished 1 1/2-lengths to the good for the third fastest clocking on day 2 of the trials. Curls Joyful Wagon is bred and owned by Martin Stacy of Oklahoma. Trainer John Stinebaugh has conditioned her in all of her starts and jockey Francisco Calderon has ridden her in all but one of her races.
62 SPEEDHORSE September 2022