SUNLAND PARK — A pair of New Mexico-breds wound up as the two fastest qualifiers for the $98,598 West Texas Maturity after trials were held Saturday at Sunland Park.
RC Corona King (pictured above), winner of the second and final trial heat of the day, topped Bigg Picture by a half-length in the 400-yard dash.
Ridden by Sergio Dominguez for trainer Gerardo Quinonez, RC Corona King stopped the clock in 19.422 seconds, earning the role as fastest qualifier for the finals, which will be held here on Saturday, March 28.
RC Corona King is a nine-time winner from 29 career starts with earnings topping $711,000. The 6-year-old son of Eye Am King was bred in New Mexico by Baldemar L Parra. He owns recent stakes wins in the Albuquerque Fall Championship. He won the West Texas Maturity as a 4-year-old in 2024 and finished fourth in this race last year.
Bigg Picture, who finished behind RC Corona King, checked in with a time of 19.487 which was good enough to be the second fastest qualifier for trainer Wes Giles and owners Uno Menos.
Ridden by Noe Garcia, Jr., Bigg Picture has finished either first or second in each of his last five starts. He was second in the Red or Green Stakes in his most recent start and was coming off back-to-back wins in the Zia Park Championship and the New Mexico Classic Championship Stakes.
Bred in New Mexico by MJ Farms, Bigg Picture was purchased at the 2022 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale 2022 for $120,000, and has six wins from 24 starts with earnings of more than $460,000.
Also making the West Texas Maturity finals among New Mexico-breds was Boot Scoots, third-place finisher in the first trial heat with a final time of 19.687, good for seventh among the 10 fastest qualifiers.
Here’s a list of all 10 qualifiers for the West Texas Maturity:
Rc Corona King, 19.422
Bigg Picture, 19.487
Paradise Pete, 19.569
A Dream Fulfilled, 19.622
Naughty Politics, 19.639
Hott Favorite, 19,649
Boot Scoots, 19.687
Kj Born to Be Wild, 19.781
Walk It Back, 19.803 Paramounte Streakin, 19.808.