A talented group of state-bred 3-year-olds will head to the starting gate Saturday at Ruidoso Downs where trials for the $150,000 Mountain Top Quarter Horse Derby will take place.

Six trial heats, each run at a distance of 350 yards, will feature 53 New Mexico-breds all vying for a spot in the starting gate for the featured event, which will be run Saturday, June 14. The 10 fastest qualifiers from the trial heats will be automatically entered back in the Mountain Top Derby.

Multiple stakes winners Pavel, Harken and Woody Rocks are among the most successful of those competing in the trial heats, which will be run as races 2 through 7 on the Saturday card which has a scheduled first post time of 1 p.m.

Pavel, owned and trained by Jorge Luis Sanchez, Jr., is the richest of the runners slated to compete in Saturday’s trial races. Winner of last year’s New Mexican Spring Futurity at Sunland Park as well as the New Mexico Breeders Futurity at Sunray Park and the New Mexico Classic Cup Juvenile Stakes at Zia Park, the son of Czar Cartel Mv finished second in his most recent start on April 18 in the New Mexico Breeders Stakes. With earnings of more than $355,000 under his belt, Pavel has won seven times from 10 career starts. He will break from post position three as the 2-to-1 morning line favorite with Luis Martinez aboard in the second trial heat of the day, which will go as the third race on the card.

Harken, a six-time winner from 10 lifetime starts including a win as a 2-year-old in the Grade 2 (restricted) Mountain Top Futurity, has earned more than $340,000 for Alepony, LLC. and trainer Jesus Soto. The son of Eye Am King is coming off a win against open company in the Grade 3 West Texas Derby at Sunland Park on March 1. He is a perfect 3-for-3 at Ruidoso Downs and will be looking to add to that unblemished record when he reaches the starting gate as the 2-to-1 morning line favorite under Sergio Becerra, Jr. in the sixth trial heat (race seven) of the day. 

Woody Rocks, installed as the 2-to-1 morning line favorite in the second race and the first trial heat of the Saturday program, is looking for back-to-back wins for trainer Tony Sedillo. The son of Woodbridge is coming off a front-running score in the NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes on April 5 at Sunland Park. As a 2-year-old, Woody Rocks earned stakes wins in both the Grade 1 (restricted) Zia Futurity at Albuquerque Downs as well as the Mountain Top Juvenile at Ruidoso Downs. Owned by CHR Racing, Woody Rocks will be ridden by Luis Martinez and will break from post four in the race.

Trainer James J. Gonzalez III will saddle as many as 13 runners in the six trial heats,including Jlb Eye The Tiger, making his first start since finishing second in last year’s Grade 2 (restricted) New Mexico State Fair Futurity at Albuquerque Downs. Owned by Rene Salgado, Jlb Eye The Tiger will have Christian Cardenas in the irons as the 3-to-1 second choice on the morning line in Saturday’s seventh race, which is the sixth and final trial heat of the day.

Trainer Wes Giles will be represented by as many as five starters in the six trial heats, including Two Macho For You, who has been installed as the 2-to-1 morning line choice in Saturday’s fifth race (fourth trial of the day). The son of Mucho Macho Man won last year’s New Mexico State Fair Juvenile and has earned more than $86,000 for owner Ezra Elton Lee. Two Macho For You will break from post two under jockey Noe Garcia.

For more information on the trials for the Mountain Top Derby, check out the official entries at https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/RUI053125USA-EQB.html.