Nine New Mexico-bred stakes — five for Thoroughbreds and four for Quarter Horses — are on the schedule for this weekend’s Zia Festival races at Ruidoso Downs.

Purses totaling $863,284 will be paid. The weekend’s richest race, the 400-yard, $319,805 Zia Futurity (RG1) for state-bred 2-year-old Quarter Horses, has drawn a full field of 10 and will be contested on Sunday, the second day of the two-day festival.

Post time Saturday and Sunday is set for 1 p.m. (MDT). Following are previews of all nine stakes, listed in the order they will be run. All post times listed are approximate.

SIERRA STARLET STAKES (Saturday, 3:36)
A full field of 12 3-year-old fillies are entered in Saturday’s 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Sierra Starlet Stakes (R).

Trainer Todd Fincher will send out three contenders, including Slammed. A homebred daughter of Marking owned by Fincher Racing LLC, Brad King, and Suzanne M. Kirby, Slammed is coming off of a clear nine-length win in a 5 1/2-furlong, $14,400 non-winners-of-two-allowance for New Mexico-bred 3-year-old fillies on June 20.

Slammed drew post 5 and will be ridden by Tracy Hebert.

Fincher will also send out Comic Hot Toddy, a homebred Indian Firewater filly racing for Helen Nave. Comic Hot Toddy will be making her season debut off of a 2-year-old campaign during which she scored a five-length victory in the 5 1/2-furlong, $134,000 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity (R) for state-bred 2-year-old fillies at Ruidoso Downs.

Comic Hot Toddy drew post 11 and will be ridden by Rodolfo Guerra.

ZIA QUARTER HORSE STAKES–RG2 (Saturday, 4:02)
Rex Wells’ Colby James is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 400-yard, $40,000 Zia Quarter Horse Stakes (RG2).

A $15,000 yearling purchase at the 2018 New Mexico-Bred Sale, Colby James has earned $400,495 from 13 races. The 4-year-old Jesse James Jr gelding will be making his first start since May 16, when he scored a half-length victory in the 400-yard, $56,000 Jimmy Drake Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park.

Colby James drew post 2 and will be ridden by Mario Delgado for trainer James J. Gonzales II. Other contenders include Flashing Moolah, a homebred 4-year-old son of AQHA champion First Moonflash trained by Trey Wood for ownerrs W.L. and Desiree Mooring, Mike Abraham, and Randy Eastburg. Flashing Moolah has won his last three outs, including a 550-yard, $13,300 non-winners-of-four allowance on a muddy track on the Fourth of July.

Flashing Moolah drew post 10 and will be ridden by Tanner Thedford.

SIERRA BLANCA STAKES (Saturday, 4:28)
Wheredoesthecashgo, a 6-year-old Southwestern Heat gelding trained by Andres Gonzalez for owners Amanda Sweeten and Pablo Nevarez Hernandez, is the 3-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Sierra Blanca Stakes for 3-year-olds and older.

Wheredoesthecashgo will be stretching out in distance off of his thrd-place finish, two lengths behind winner BS Cyclotron, in a 4 1/2-furlong, $32,000 open-condition allowance dash at SunRay Park on May 2. The gelding ended his 5-year-old campaign with a 2 1/4-length win in the 6-furlong, $50,000 New Mexico Cup Sprint Championship (R) at Zia Park on November 11.

Dale F. Taylor Racing’s Golden Band, a homebred 6-year-old son of Quinton’s Gold trained by Todd Fincher, will be making his first start since November 11, when he ran second to Wheredoesthecashgo, in the New Mexico Cup Sprint Championship. The gelding drew post 9 and will be ridden by Rodolfo Guerra.

ZIA QUARTER HORSE DERBY–RG2 (Saturday, 4:54)
Icy Morning Breeze, a homebred Winners Version filly owned by the Estate of William and Mary Robertson, brings a four-race win streak into Saturday’s 400-yard, $203,479 Zia Quarter Horse Derby (RG2).

Trained by Jackie Riddle, Icy Morning Breeze has won all three of her races at Ruidoso Downs this year, including the 400-yard, $91,000 Mountain Top Derby (R) on June 19. The brown filly ended her juvenile season with a half-length victory in the 350-yard, $360,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity RG2) at Zia Park.

Icy Morning Breeze is the 1-2 morning-line favorite. The filly drew post 2 and will be ridden by Hector Aldrete.

MJ Farms’ Fanncee, a homebred multiple stakes placed daughter of Big Daddy Cartel and the fastest qualifier, drew post 10 and will be ridden by Alan Hernandez for trainer Wes Giles. Fanncee is coming off of a one-length win in one of six Zia Derby trials on July 17.

LAND OF ENCHANTMENT STAKES (Saturday, 5:20)
Marina Velazquez’s West Dawn returns to New Mexico and heads up a field of 10 in Saturday’s 7 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Land of Enchantment Stakes.

A 4-year-old son of Train Rider Blues trained by Rafael Barraza, West Dawn is coming off of a distant second-place finish in the 6-furlong, $20,000 King’s Stakes at Arizona Downs on July 13. In the gelding’s most recent out in New Mexico, he scored a 1 1/4-length victory in the May 8, 6 1/2-furlong Jack Cole Stakes (R) at SunRay Park.

West Dawn drew post 8 and will be ridden by Enrique Gomez.

LINCOLN STAKES (Sunday, 4:02)
Count Them Again, a multiple stakes winning 4-year-old Premeditation filly, heads a field of seven state-bred distaffers entered in Sunday’s 6-furlong, $50,000 Lincoln Stakes.

Trained by Ever Olguin for owners Lola L. Cuellar and Alexandria M. Cuellar, Count Them Again will be making her first start since April 24, when the filly scored a wire-to-wire, one-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong, $55,000 Russell and Helen Foutz Distaff Stakes (R) at SunRay Park. Count Them Again has won eight of 12 starts, including five stakes, and she has earned $303,126.

The Lincoln Stakes will mark Count Them Again’s first career start at Ruidoso Downs. The filly drew post 3 and will be ridden by Aldo Arboleda.

C. Donnell Echols’ Movin On, a homebred daughter of Indian Firewater trained by Joel Marr, will make her 6-year-old season debut. The mare is coming off of a 2020 campaign during which she banked $42,450 from five outs and scored a neck victory in the 7 1/2-furlong, $20,000 Governor’s Stakes at Ruidoso Downs on September 7.

Movin On drew post 5 and will be ridden by Casey Chavez.

ZIA QUARTER HORSE JUVENILE STAKES (Sunday, 4:28)
A dozen New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds, including two also-eligible entries, are entered in Sunday’s 400-yard, $50,000 Zia Juvenile Stakes (R).

Bad Kompany, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, is a stakes-winning homebred Jesse James Jr gelding owned and trained by Fred Danley. Bad Kompany has won his last two races, including the 350-yard, $50,000 Mountain Top Juvenile Stakes (R) on June 20.
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La Feliz Montana Ranch’s Ms Flashin Ivory drew post 5 and will be ridden by Federico Martinez for trainer Manuel Rodolfo Rodriguez. A $38,000 yearling purchase at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Sale, the daughter of champion First Moonflash has banked $6,495 from three outs — all at Ruidoso Downs — and she ran third, three-quarters of a length behind Bad Kompany, in the Mountain Top Juvenile.

ROAD RUNNER STAKES (Sunday, 4:54)
Izeright and Awesome Storm head a field of 11 sophomores entered in Sunday’s 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Road Runner Stakes (R).

Izeright is a homebred Right Rigger gelding trained by Bart Hone, and he will be making his first lifetime start at Ruidoso Downs. Izeright is shortening in distance off of his wire-to-wire, 2 1/4-length win in the 6 1/2-furlong, $55,000 Dine Stakes (R) at SunRay Park on May 30.

Izeright drew post 2 and will be ridden by Miguel Perez.

Awesome Storm is campaigned by Fincher Racing LLC and Norman W. Allen. A $15,000 buy at the 2019 New Mexico-Bred Sale, the Awesome Indian gelding made his local debut with a 2 1/2-length victory in a 6-furlong, $14,400 non-winners-of-two allowance on June 25.

Awesome Storm finished second to Izeright in the Dine Stakes. The gelding drew post 11 and will be ridden by Tracy Hebert for trainer Todd Fincher.

ZIA QUARTER HORSE FUTURITY-RG1 (Sunday, 5:20)
Fastest qualifier Flashin Fire and Azara headline Sunday’s 400-yard, $319,805 Zia Quarter Horse Futurity (RG1).

A $20,000 claim at Remington Park on April 11, Flashin Fire broke his maiden with a half-length win in the fifth of 10 Zia Futurity trials on July 16. The gelded son of champion First Moonflash is trained by Santos Carrizales Jr. for owner Jose E. Guzman.

Flashin Fire drew post 9 and will be ridden by Juan Pulido.

The fourth-fastest qualifier and the 9-5 morning-line favorite, Azara has earned $57,577 from three races, and her resume includes a second-place finish, one length behind winner Mr Innovator, in the 350-yard, $280,000 Mountain Top Futurity (RG2) on June 20. Manuel Rodolfo Rodriguez trains the bay daughter of A Royal Jess for owner MRB Racing LLC.

Azara drew post 5 and will be ridden by Raul Herrera.