State’s fastest juvenile shortliners take center stage at Ruidoso on Sunday.
RUIDOSO – A field of 10 elite juvenile quarter horses bred in the state of New Mexico will head into the starting gate for Sunday’s $350,000 Mountain Top Futurity at Ruidoso Downs.
Jingle Wood, trained by Clinton Crawford and scheduled to be ridden by Jacob Enriquez, is the fastest qualifier and the 2-to-1 morning line favorite for the 350-yard Futurity, which will be run as the 10th race on the Sunday program.
Owned by Downtime Enterprises LLC, Christopher Lykins and Melody Lykins, Jingle Wood broke his maiden when winning a trial heat for the Mountain Top Futurity held here on May 30. The son of Woodbridge finished second in the New Mexico Spring Fling last April at Sunland Park prior to the trial heat victory.
Jingle Wood crossed the finish line in a time of 17.6 seconds in his trial heat, winning that race by four lengths over a sloppy racetrack.
Trainer James J. Gonzalez III will saddle a pair of starters in the Futurity, including Luxurie, who overcame a bumpy start from the gate to finish in a deadheat for the win in a trial race. Owned by Triple R Racing Stables LLC, Wallace Landrum, Ted Rushing and Rancho El 48 LLC, Luxurie will be ridden by Christian Cardenas and will break from post six as the 6-to-1 fourth choice on the morning line.
Earlier in the Sunday program, a field of 10 New Mexico-bred juveniles will load into the starting gate for the $50,000 Mountain Top New Mexico Bred Juvenile Stakes, featuring horses which failed to qualify for the Futurity, but were still among the fastest of the trial heats.
You Just Got Mooned, trained by Xavier Rodriguez for La Feliz Montana Ranch:LLC and Javier Rodriguez, is the 5-to-2 morning line favorite in the Juvenile. The 2-year-old homebred son of Suspicious Interest finished Mw B Cause Im Sexy in a trial heat here on May 30 and will be ridden once again by Luis Martinez from his inside post in the 350-yard dash, which will go as Sunday’s ninth race.
For more information on the $350,000 Mountain Top Futurity and the $50,000 Mountain Top Juvenile Stakes, check out the official entries page at equibase.com.