FARMINGTON – Trial races will be held Friday afternoon at SunRay Park and Casino for a pair of rich quarter horse futurities that will be held Saturday, May 20.
The $75,000-added Four Corners Futurity and the $120,000-added New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity are two of the biggest quarter horse races during the SunRay racing season. There will be five trial races for open quarter horses in the Four Corners Futurity and six trial heats for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity on Friday’s 11-race program.
Forty-six quarter horses will compete in five trial heats for the Four Corners Futurity, with the 10 fastest qualifiers from those races earning a spot in the starting gate.
Likewise, there will be 60 runners competing in six trial heats for 10 spots in the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity. The 10 fastest qualifiers from those six heats will move on to the finals.
The five trials for the Four Corners Futurity will open the program, which has a post time of 2:15 p.m. The remaining races will be comprised of trials for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity.
Among the notable runners set to compete in the Four Corners Futurity trials are CHR Racing’s Eagles Diva, a recent runnerup in the West Texas Juvenile at Sunland Park on April 1.
Trained by Jesus Rondan, Jr. and slated to be ridden by Luis Martinez, Eagles Diva is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite in the first trial for the Four Corners Futurity. The Texas-bred daughter of This Is an Eagle is winless after two career starts with a second- and a third-place finish to her credit. She will break from Post 2 in the 350-yard trial.
The main competition to Eagles Diva comes just to her outside in the form of Triple R Racing Stables LLC’s Kiss My Fireball B. Slated to be ridden by Daniel Amaya and trained by Misti Pate, Kiss My Fireball B makes her local debut off a maiden win in her first career start at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on March 18.
Kiss My Fireball B was bred in Texas and has been installed as the 7-to-2 second choice in the opening trial heat.
Pate will be sending out another well-regarded juvenile in the fourth trial for the Four Corners Futurity with Oklahoma-bred Hope Hes Special. The son of Special Effort finished sixth last time out in the $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile on April 22.
The first trial for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity features an intriguing matchup between Jess Have One More and Play Again, both of whom faced each other in the $366,000 New Mexico Spring Futurity last month at Sunland Park.
Jess Have One More, trained by Rondan and scheduled to be ridden by Martinez, finished fifth in the Futurity with Play Again finishing seventh, both beaten by less than 2½ lengths in the contest.
Play Again comes from the barn of Eric Valenzuela, who won the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity last year with Major Game. Play Again will be ridden by Emilio Tapia.
Later in the card, trainer Hector Chavez will be seeking his first win of the meet when he sends out Who U Daddy, a maiden winner in his debut at Sunland Park on March 10 before finishing fourth in the New Mexico Spring Futurity.
Breaking from the inside post in the sixth and final trial for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity, Who U Daddy is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite and is scheduled to be ridden by Manuel Gutierrez.
The 11-race Friday program will also feature live simulcast wagering on the 148th running of Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, spotlighting the top 3-year-old fillies in America.
Trainer Todd Fincher will send out Flying Connection in the Kentucky Oaks, after her impressive win last time out in the Sunland Park Oaks. Flying Connection has won four times from five career starts with earnings approaching $295,000.
