Todd Fincher holds strong hand in NM State Fair TB Futurity
ALBUQUERQUE – Todd Fincher, already the leading thoroughbred trainer this season at Albuquerque Downs, appears poised to add another win to his ledger when he sends out as many as 10 starters in Sunday’s New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity.
The 6-furlong event, worth more than $312,000 in purse money, will go as the fourth race of a stakes-laden program featuring some of the top statebred racehorses. Post time for the Futurity is scheduled for 2:45 p.m.
Fincher, with 20 wins this season and currently nine ahead of runnerup Dick Cappellucci in the thoroughbred trainer standings, will send out 7-to-2 morning line favorite Speed Merchant, who posted a half-length victory in his trial heat held on Sept. 21, racing six furlongs in a time of 1 minute, 9.71 seconds.
Speed Merchant, a gelded son of Marking out of Broken Vow mare Keep Your Promise, has won each of his first two starts, breaking his maiden in his career debut here on Aug. 29. He will be ridden once again by Luis Martinez and will break from post position 6 in the 12-horse field.
Damsire Broken Vow was a prolific producer of stakes winners before his passing in 2022. He is responsible for six champions, including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Award winner Champagne Room, as well as Cotton Blossom, Unbridled Belle, and Rosalind.
Speed Merchant is owned by Dale F. Taylor Racing, LLC and was bred by Brad King and Chris Coleman.
Fincher saddled a total of 12 runners in the three trial heats, with 10 of them qualifying for the final. The top four finishers from each of the three trial heats were automatically entered back to the race.
Simon Buechler will saddle the second choice on the morning line for the Futurity when Tumbleweed heads to the track for owners Robert M. Driggers, Del Rae Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey. The son of Sporting Chance is out of the Mr. Gold Mover mare Sidewinder Sally, a stakes winner with earnings of more than $164,000.
Already a stakes winner having captured the Bill Hartack Thoroughbred Futurity at Wyoming Downs on July 26, Tumbleweed will break from the 12-post under jockey Christian Ramos at 4-to-1 on the morning line.
Buechler and Sherry Armstrong were the only other trainers to earn a spot in the field for the NM State Fair TB Futurity. Armstrong will send out Dashing American, third place finisher in Sunday’s first trial heat under Alejandro Medellin, races for owner Morgan Cox. The son of American Anthem, bred by Kim Saunders & Warren Franklin, is out of the Attila’s Storm mare Dashkova.
American Anthem stands at Sierra Blanca Equine in Ruidoso. The son of Arkansas Derby winner Bodemeister earned nearly $850,000 on the racetrack with wins in the 2017 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park and the Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita.
1 Mark’s Sassy Girl 6-1 Alfredo Juarez, Jr
2 Sniper Unit 30-1 Fausto Da Silva
3 Mark My Kiss 15-1 Ramon Vazquez
4 Risk Capital 5-1 Aldo Arboleda
5 Group Photo 30-1 Tanner Fincher
6 Speed Merchant 7-2 Luis Valenzuela
7 Buy Local 12-1 Irwin Rosendo
8 Dashing American 8-1 Alejandro Medellin
9 American Prada 20-1 Guillermo Rodriguez
10 Bully Boy 8-1 Luis Fuentes
11 American Secrets 30-1 Oscar Andrade, Jr. 12 Tumbleweed 4-1 Christian Ramos