Big Crush BB earned his second straight stakes victory on Sunday, inching clear late to win Sunday’s $45,000 Jess Burner Stakes at Ruidoso Downs.
Ridden by Emilio Tapia for trainer Jose DeHerrera and owner Javier M. Chavez, Big Crush BB broke well from his outside post and dueled for the early lead with post time favorite River Flash before being engaged to those runners inside by Hunky McGoo.
Big Crush BB staved off both of those challengers in the final yards, getting to the finish line 1¼ lengths in front of Hunky McGoo and jockey Christian Ramos to earn the win, racing 400 yards on a fast track in a quick time of 19.29 seconds.
The victory is the fifth lifetime win from 17 career starts for Big Crush BB. The New Mexico-bred, 4-year-old son of Big Daddy Cartel was an upset winner last time out when he won a division of the $100,000 Jimmy Drake Stakes on April 28 at SunRay Park and Casino.
Sunday’s win in the Jess Burner also is the first in six starts at Ruidoso Downs for Big Crush BB. The victory pads his career bankroll to more than $172,000.
Sent off at odds of 11.80-to-1, Big Crush BB returned $25.60 to his winning backers. Hunky McGoo, also dismissed by a majority of the fans wagering on the race at odds of 15-1, finished second and helped spark a $408.80 return on investment for players of the $2 exacta with the top two finishers.
Diezs Daylight finished third with Mario Delgado aboard while River Flash and jockey Adrian Ramos rounded out the top four finishers.
Live racing resumes at Ruidoso Downs on Friday with a first post time of 1 p.m. Some of the biggest races of the season will be featured this weekend, with 3-year-olds set to load into the gate in Saturday’s $900,000 Ruidoso Derby before the opening leg of quarter horse’s Triple Crown gets underway in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity.
