New Mexico Classic Futurity trials headline opening day card at Zia Park
HOBBS – The 21st season of live racing at Zia Park kicks off Saturday with five trial heats for the New Mexico Classic Futurity, which features a pair of stakes winners looking to add to their respctive resumes.
Mountain Top Futurity winner Luxurie, owned by Triple R Racing Stables LLC, Wallace Lynn Landrum, Ted Rushing and Rancho El 48 LLC and trained by James Gonzales III, is the morning line favorite in the first trial heat, which will be run as Saturday’s seventh race at a distance of 350 yards.
Luxurie has earned more than $201,000 while winning three of four career starts. The son of Big Daddy Cartel will break from post two and will be ridden by Christian Cardenas.
Luxurie, out of the Jesse James Jr mare Astica, was a $300,000 purchase at the 2024 Ruidoso New Mexico Bred QH Yearling Sale. In addition to her win in the Mountain Top Futurity, qualified for the New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity where he finished fifth behind Eddy Cartel.
The main rival to Luxurie in the first trial heat appears to be multiple stakes-placed Jingle Wood, drawn to his inside and slated to be ridden by Jacob Enriquez. The son of Woodbridge out of the Bigtime Favorite mare Ms Jingles is the second choice on the morning line at odds of 9-to-5 for owners Downtime Enterprises LLC, Christopher J. Lykins, and Melody Lykins and trainer Clinton Crawford.
Jingle Wood was second in the New Mexican Spring Fling and third in the Mountain Top Futurity and has earned over $56,000 in his career.
The second trial heat will be headlined by 9-to-5 morning line favorite Sya Narra for owners Scott Branson and Jimmy Vasquez and trainer David Gomez-Barraza.
Sya Narra has two wins from three career starts including a win in a trial for the Mountain Top Futurity earlier this summer. By El Damazo out of the Brookstone Bay mare Asian Brook, Sya Narra was bred in New Mexico by Randy and Linda H Schalla and will be ridden by Christian Ramos.
Trainer Wes Giles will saddle Hez Rio Trouble as the morning line favorite in the third trial heat of the day. Owned by Robert Driggers and Ben Ivey, Hez Rio Trouble was third in the Mountain Top Juvenile Stakes and most recently third in the NM State Fair QH Futurity.
Bred in New Mexico by Ivey Cattle Co., the son of Jet Black Patriot is out of the First Moonflash mare Riverside Babe and has earned more than $151,000 in his career.
CHR Racing’s Fire Powwer, winner of the New Mexico Spring Fling Stakes at Sunland Park earlier this year, is listed at 5-to-1 on the morning line in Saturday’s 10th race, the fourth trial of the day. The son of Big Daddy Cartel has two wins from six starts and earnings topping $109,000.
Fire Powwer will be ridden by Omar Iturralde for trainer Tony Sedillo and will break from post two in the fourth trial heat.
Pour Me A Drinkk (pictured above) appears to be the main rival to Fire Powwer in the fourth trial heat.
The 7-to-5 morning line favorite, Pour Me A Drinkk was a romping winner in his trial heat last month for the NM State Fair QH Futurity, but was off badly in the finals for that race and finished last as the post time favorite.
The son of Prospect to the Top is owned, trained and was bred by Fred Danley and will be piloted once again by jockey James Flores.
Gonzales will also saddle the morning line favorite for the fifth and final trial heat of the day with Tintero. Owned by Denis Schoenhofer, Julie A. Schoenhofer, Jose Arturo Moreno and Eloisa Moreno, the son of Big Daddy Cartel out of the Dash Ta Fame mare Tangled Vines has a maiden win to his credit from five career starts. Tintero was a $110,000 purchase at the 2024 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale and was bred by MJ Farms. He will be ridden once again by Christian Cardenas.