Three New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses qualified to three of American Quarter Horse racing’s most prestigious races, which will be run during Labor Day weekend, September 1-2, at Albuquerque Downs.

KJ Bad Moon Rising, a homebred son of the Apollitical Jess stallion KJ Mucho Macho Man racing for John Lee and Kathy Lee, recorded the ninth-fastest qualifying time to the sport’s richest and most prestigious race, the 440-yard, $3-million All American Futurity (G1) on Monday, September 2. Christian Ramos rode the bay New Mexico-bred gelding for trainer Wes Giles.

KJ Bad Moon Rising won the seventh of 14 All American Futurity trials on Saturday, August 10, the second of two days of trials. The gelding covered his quarter-mile trip in :21.518 while scoring his second win in four races and increasing his earnings to $51,693.

KJ Bad Moon Rising is out of KJ Kiss Me Goodbye, an unplaced homebred 8-year-old daughter of 2009 AQHA champion aged stallion First Moonflash. The gelding’s resume includes a third-place finish, a half of a length behind winner Woody Rocks, in the 400-yard, $368,451 Zia Futurity (RG1) for New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds on July 28.

Bigg Picture, a New Mexico-bred Big Daddy Cartel gelding trained by Wes Giles for owner Uno Menos, set the 10th-fastest qualifying time to Quarter Horse racing’s richest race for 3-year-olds, the September 2, $1,076,535 All American Derby (G1). Ridden by Adrian Ramos, Bigg Picture ran third in one of eight 440-yard trials on August 11.

Bigg Picture was a $120,000 purchase from breeder MJ Farms at the 2022 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. The gelding is out of Astica, a homebred Jesse James Jr mare and the sport’s champion sophomore filly in ’15, and he is a full brother to graded stakes winner Donelli.

Raced exclusively in New Mexico, Bigg Picture has earned $34,365 from eight outs.

Also on August 11, Uno Menos’ Miss Hi Tide qualified to the September 2, $626,135 All American Oaks (G1) for 3-year-old fillies. Ridden by Adrian Ramos for trainer Wes Giles, the New Mexico-bred daughter of the Dash Ta Fame stallion Woodbridge ran third in her 440-yard trial while setting the ninth-fastest qualifying time.

Miss Hi Tide was purchased by Uno Menos from breeder MJ Farms for $80,000 at the 2022 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. The filly is out of Ms Riptide, a stakes-winning and multiple graded stakes placed daughter of champion Ocean Runaway, and she is a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner and 2019 All American Futurity (G1) runner-up Mister Riptide.

Campaigned exclusively in New Mexico, Miss Hi Tide has won two of seven races and has banked $295,448. Her 2-year-old record included a second-place finish in the 300-yard, $365,728 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park, and a third-place finish in the 400-yard, $1,208,669 New Mexico State Fair Futurity (RG2) at Albuquerque Downs.