New Mexico Breeders Futurity trials held Friday at SunRay Park and Casino
FARMINGTON — A total of 55 statebred quarter horses are entered in six trial races for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity on Friday at SunRay Park and Casino. These trials will run as part of a 13-race program featuring some of the top juvenile shortliners in the southwest.
Trainer Tony Sedillo (pictured), with five runners expected to participate in the NM Breeders’ Futurity trials, will send out at least one starter in all but one of the six trials, which will be run at a distance of 350 yards. The finals for the NM Breeders Futurity will be held on Sunday, May 10.
Sedillo is no stranger to the NM Breeders’ Futurity, sending out the top two finishers in last year’s renewal of the race when S Super King narrowly prevailed over stablemate Fire Powwer.
Sedillo will send out Dahlia’s Destiny, the 7-to-2 second choice in the first trial for the NM Breeders’ Futurity, which will be run as the eighth race on the Friday card. A 2-year-old filly by Big Daddy Cartel bred by La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and owned by CHR Racing, Dahlia’s Destiny finished fifth in the New Mexico Spring Fling on April 24 at Sunland Park after qualifying for the race last March.
Dahlia’s Destiny will break from post seven in the nine-horse field with Oscar Andrade, Jr. scheduled to ride. Her main competition in that trial heat appears to come from her outside in the form of Splitting Aces,a $45,000 purchase at last year’s Ruidoso New Mexico Bred Yearling Sale by owner Alejandro Nieblas.
Trained by Armando Alamos, Splitting Aces will break from the outside post with Jacob Enriquez aboard. The son of Bogart finished fifth in his career debut at Sunland Park in a trial heat for the New Mexican Spring Futurity.
Sedillo will also send out 7-to-2 second choice Cartels Answer in the 13th and final race of the Friday card, which will serve as the sixth and final trial for the NM Breeders’ Futurity.
CHR Racing purchased the son of Big Daddy Cartel for $100,000 from breeder William Robertson at last year’s Ruidoso New Mexico Bred Yearling Sale. He debuted with a fourth place finish in trials for the New Mexican Spring Futurity last month before finishing third in a maiden race at SunRay Park on opening day April 10.
Cartels Answer will break from the rail in the sixth and final trial heat with Luis Martinez scheduled to ride. His main competition would appear to be Double Down Vike, trained by Elliot Bachicha, who finished second in his only career start last month at Sunland Park.
Coming off a strong season at Sunland Park, trainer Eric Valenzuela will saddle as many as four starters in the NM Breeders’ Futurity Trials. Valenzuela captured the quarter horse training title at the recently completed season at Sunland Park, highlighted by wins in both the New Mexican Spring Fling Stakes and the New Mexican Spring Futurity.
Valenzuela will send out 3-to-1 morning line favorite Big Ted in the second trial heat for the NM Breeders’ Futurity, which will be run as the ninth race on the Friday card.
Big Ted, a winner in his career debut and third-place finisher in the New Mexican Spring Futurity last time out, is a son of TF Im That Guy owned by Tungsten Racing Partnership and bred by Jaime Cervantes.
With earnings approaching $50,000 after just a pair of starts, Big Ted is the most accomplished of all the starters in the NM Breeders Futurity trials. He will be ridden once again by jockey Jordy Muniz and will break from post four in the 10-horse contest.
Trainer Wes Giles will also be busy on Friday, with as many as five starters in the six trials for the NM Breeders Futurity.
Giles will be represented in the fifth trial heat of the day by 5-to-2 morning line favorite Thats Amoree, a son of Elmer who ran second in his debut at Sunland Park last month.
A $22,000 purchase at last year’s Ruidoso New Mexico Bred Yearling Sale by owner Ezra Elton Lee, Thats Amoree was bred by La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC. He will break from post three in the nine-horse dash under jockey Noe Garcia, Jr.
Friday’s six trials for the New Mexico Breeders’ Futurity will be held immediately following the seven trial heats for the Four Corners Futurity, featuring more than 60 quarter horses from across the country and also to be run at the distance of 350 yards. First post time on Friday is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
For a complete list of entries, log on to equibase.com.