Seventy-two state-bred 2-year-old Quarter Horses are entered in Saturday’s 300-yard New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) trials at Sunland Park.
Codex, a gray son of Big Daddy Cartel and a $160,000 purchase at last year’s Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, will make his career debut in the seventh of eight trials. Trained by Wes Giles for the Uno Mas partnership, the gelding is out of Astica, the sport’s champion 3-year-old filly in 2015, and he is a full brother to 2020 New Mexico State Fair (RG3) runner-up Fanncee and 2020 Rainbow Oaks runner-up and runner-up Valiant Astica.
Codex drew post 4 and will be ridden by Adrian Ramos.
Doing Something Good races for J & SM Inc. of Fort Stockton, Texas, which purchased the Big Daddy Cartel gelding for $110,000 at last year’s Ruidoso Select Sale. Trained by Fred Danley, Doing Something Good is out of Start Somethin Bad, an 8-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Pappasito who won the 2017 La Primera del Ano Derby (G3) at Los Alamitos.
Doing Something Good drew post 3 and will be ridden by Noe Garcia Jr. in the fifth trial.
Jesses Wish is a son of Jesse James Jr trained by James Gonzales III for owners Javier M. Chavez and Heysol Howlet. A $50,000 yearling purchase at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Sale at Ruidoso Downs, the bay gelding is out of the winning and multiple graded stakes placed Stel Corona mare Wish You Had One To, and he is a full brother to the graded stakes placed Jesse James Jr gelding Jess Tequila Talkin.
Jesses Wish drew the rail post and will be ridden by Mario Delgado in the sixth heat. The gelding’s eight opponents in the sixth trial include Jose Moreno’s White Knight, a son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Eye Am King trained by Eric Valenzuela. A half brother to champion Astica, the gelding is out of Alice K White, a multiple graded stakes winning First Down Dash mare and the sport’s champion sophomore filly in ’09.
The 10 fastest qualifiers from Saturday’s trials will meet in the $175,000-added New Mexican Spring Futurity final on April 3.