Field is Set for the August 14, $137,756 Rio Grande Senor Futurity

Three Rio Grande Senor Futurity (R) trials at Ruidoso Downs on Friday determined the field for the August 14, $137,756 final at Ruidoso Downs.

Storm Leader (pictured), Antonio’s Mark, and Leave Them Behind were the winners of the three 5 1/2-furlong heats. A homebred son of Attila’s Storm trained by Todd Fincher for owners Mike Abraham, Leslie Amestoy and Pierre Amestoy Jr., Storm Leader won the first trial by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:04.88 on a fast track. Alfredo Juarez Jr. rode the gelding.

Storm Leader was stretching out in distance off of his 5 3/4-length victory in the 5-furlong, $151,568 Mountain Top Futurity (R) at Ruidoso Downs on June 26. The gelding is one of six winners from as many starters foaled by Our Flying Angel, a daughter of the Robyn Dancer stallion Abajo who won two stakes as a 2-year-old in New Mexico, including the 2011 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity (R).

Storm Leader’s second dam, the Kentucky-bred Distorted Humor mare Flying Humor, produced a total of two stakes winners, including Storm Warrior, a half brother to Our Flying Angel who won the 2015 Rio Grande Senor Futurity (R).

Storm Leader has won two of three starts and has earned $80,584.

Antonios Mark rallied to win the second heat by five lengths in 1:07.28 on a track turned sloppy. Oscar Ceballos rode the chestnut son of Marking for owner Andy A. Banegas and trainer Dallas Barton.

Antonios Mark was bred by Fred Alexander of Anthony, New Mexico, and he was making his career debut. The gelding is two winners from three starters produced by Bekat Bekat, a winning daughter of the Langfuhr stallion Lawyer Ron.

Antonios Mark’s second dam, the unraced Marfa mare Bastet, foaled six winners, including Smokescreen, a half brother to Bekat Bekat who ran third in the ’05 Pennsylvania Derby (G2) at Philadelphia Park.

Leave Them Behind won the third trial by a half of a length in 1:06.94 on a sloppy track. Enrique Gomez rode the homebred dark bay or brown Attila’s Storm gelding for owner J & SM Inc. of Fort Stockton, Texas, and trainer Fred Danley.

Leave Them Behind made his debut with a 1 3/4-length win in a Mountain Top Futurity trial on June 10; the gelding subsequently ran sixth, 9 3/4 lengths behind winner Storm Leader, in the Mountain Top final. Leave Them Behind is out of Ivy Gimlet, a winning and multiple stakes placed Diabolical mare.

Leave Them Behind’s second dam, the Bernstein mare Toll Taker, won the 2004 Astarita Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park. The gelding has won two of three outs and has earned $10,231.

Other prominent Senor Futurity qualifiers include Nostrangrtotherain, a stakes-winning son of Shame On Charlie trained by Cliff Lambert Sr. for owners Jimmy Powers and Rebecca Powers. Nostrangrtotherain has banked $83,918 from five races, and the gelding’s two wins include a wire-to-wire, two-length victory in the 4 1/2-furlong, $100,000 C.O. “Ken” Kendrick Memorial Stakes (R) at SunRay Park on May 8.  

Nine of the 10 Rio Grande Senor Futurity finalists are listed in alphabetical order below. There was a shake in the Ruidoso Downs race office on Saturday to determine the final qualifier from the following trial fourth-place finishers: Musics My Vice, Hennessy Looker RF, and Playthemarker.