Fincher-trained pair square off in New Mexico Classic Juvenile
HOBBS – Speed Merchant and Bully Boy, one-two finishers in last month’s New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity, will face each other yet again in Monday’s $150,000 New Mexico Classic Juvenile at Zia Park.
Dale F. Taylor Racing, LLC’s Speed Merchant, unbeaten after three career starts, will look to extend that win streak when he loads into the outside post in the field of nine state-bred juveniles which will race six furlongs.
Bred in New Mexico by Brad King & Chris Coleman and trained by Todd Fincher, Speed Merchant is a son of Marking and has earned more than $177,000. He’s coming off a narrow win last time out over Bully Boy in the NM State Fair TB Futurity at Albuquerque Downs.
Speed Merchant will be ridden by Luis Valenzuela and has been installed as the 8-to-5 second choice on the morning line for the NM Classic Juvenile, the eighth-race on a 10-race card featuring many of the state’s top thoroughbreds.
Fincher also trains the 7-to-5 morning line favorite Bully Boy, for owners Robert M. & Del Rae Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey. The son of Sporting Chance rallied and was beaten a nose by Speed Merchant in the NM State Fair TB Futurity.
Bred in New Mexico by Bar Y Equine, LLC, Bully Boy will be ridden by Luis Fuentes. The pair will break from post two in the nine-horse field for the NM Classic Juvenile, which has a scheduled post time of 3:14 p.m.
The field, with morning line odds and jockeys for the $150,000 NM Classic Juvenile:
1 Country Club Sport 20-1 (Fausto Da Silva)
2 Bully Boy 7-5 (Luis Fuentes)
3 Tumbleweed 8-1 (Christian Ramos)
4 Fort Sumner 10-1 (Ramon Vazquez)
5 Another Runaway 15-1 (Alfredo Juarez, Jr.)
6 Buy Local 12-1 (Irwin Rosendo)
7 Risk Capital 20-1 (Aldo Arboleda)
8 D C Call Me George 30-1 (Tracy Hebert)
9 Speed Merchant 8-5 (Luis Valenzuela)
Photo of Speed Merchant courtesy Coady Media