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RACING NEWS
by Michael Cusortelli
RUIDOSO DOWNS MEET RECAP
uidoso Downs ended its 46-day season on 2-year-old fillies on August 15, was won by Bella three more than runner-up Clint Crawford, Labor Day, September 6. Dona. A homebred Attila’s Storm filly owned who sent out 24 winners from 135 starts. Wes
KJ Desparado won Ruidoso Downs’ -- and American Quarter Horse racing’s -- richest race, as the Apollitical Jess gelding took
down the 440-yard, $3-million All American Futurity (G1) on closing day. The sixth-fastest overall qualifier, KJ Desparado was ridden by Adrian Ramos for owners John W. Lee, Kathy Lee and Ruben Mares, and trainer Wes Giles.
“I remember in the springtime, Adrian assured me that this was the kind of horse that could win the All American, and it turned out to be true,” said Giles, a New Mexico-based trainer. “Right now, I just feel blessed to have this horse in my barn and to be associated with the owners who made this possible.”
Ruidoso Downs’ closing-day program traditionally draws a large on-track crowd, and this year was no exception. A total of $1,850,907 was wagered on the 12-race card, of which $756,450 was bet on track and $1,094,457 was bet off track.
Also during closing weekend, Instygator earned a berth in this year’s Grade 1, 440-yard Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos, as the gelded son of Ivory James won the September 5, $929,465 All American Derby (G1) for 3 year olds. Instygator was trained by Santos Carrizales Jr. and ridden by Juan Pulido for owner Barboza Racing Corp.
New Mexico-bred Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses also had their opportunities to shine during the Ruidoso meet. The season’s richest Thoroughbred stakes, the 5 1/2-furlong $124,849 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity (R) for state-bred
by Robert Driggers, Del Rae Driggers, and Ben Lee Ivey, Bella Dona was ridden by Jimmy Ray Coates for trainer Simon Buechler.
The other prominent New Mexico-bred Thoroughbred stakes run during the meet were the 5-furlong, $123,991 Mountain Top Futurity (R), won by Marked, a homebred Marking filly trained by Todd Fincher
and ridden by Tracy Hebert for owners R. Lee Lewis and Brad E. King; and the 5 1/2-furlong, $116,386 Rio Grande Senor Futurity (R), won by Dale F. Taylor Racing LLC’s Mark’s Warrior, a homebred gelded son of Marking trained by Todd Fincher and ridden by Alfredo Sigala.
Ruidoso Downs’ richest stakes for New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses, the 400-yard $319,804 Zia Futurity (RG1), was run during the track’s annual Zia Festival weekend, July 31-August 1. Jose E. Guzman’s Flashin Fire, a sorrel son of Champion First Moonflash, won the Zia Futurity. Santos Carrizales Jr. trained and Juan Pulido rode the gelding.
Francisco Calderon was Ruidoso Downs’ leading Quarter Horse jockey with 33 wins from 170 mounts, eight more than runner-up Mario Delgado, who rode the winners of 25 races from 93 mounts. Mostly due to his win in the All American Futurity, Adrian Ramos led all Ruidoso Downs’ riders with mount earnings of $2,243,256.
Ruidoso’s leading Quarter Horse trainer, Trey Wood, won 27 races from 213 starts,
Giles topped all Quarter Horse trainers with starter earnings of $2,015,043.
Bobby D. Cox was Ruidoso Downs’ top Quarter Horse owner, as horses campaigned by the resident of Fort Worth, Texas, and member of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame won 10 races from 41 starts, one more than runner-up La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC, which won nine races from 99 starts. The partnership of John W. Lee, Kathy Lee, and Ruben Mares was Ruidoso’s leading owner in purse earnings with $1,597,540.
Kelsi Purcell led all Ruidoso Downs Thoroughbred jockeys with 25 wins from
79 mounts, six more than runner-up Tracy Hebert, who rode 19 winners from 75 mounts. Hebert led all Ruidoso Thoroughbred jockeys in mount earnings at $338,190.
Casey Lambert won 24 races from 112 starts to top all Ruidoso Downs Thoroughbred trainers, four more than runner-up Todd Fincher, who won 20 races from 85 starts. However, Fincher topped all Thoroughbred trainers with starter earnings of $495,407.
Bob Matney and Champion Racing Stable
tied for the title of leading owner. Matney won eight races from 33 starts, while Champion Racing Stable captured eight races from 40 starts. Matney was the sole leading owner in purse earnings at $118,973.
Ruidoso Downs is scheduled to begin its 2022 racing season on Friday, May 27. The 47-day meet will run through Monday, September 5.
80 New Mexico Horse Breeder
KJ Desparado wins the All American Quarter Horse Futurity G1 at Ruidoso Downs Labor Day weekend. © Jake Rogers, Ruidoso Downs