Sedillo set to hold strong hand in Zia Derby after trial heats
RUIDOSO – Boot Scoots will be seeking his first career stakes victory when he is scheduled to load into the starting gate as the fastest qualifier for the $196,267 Zia Quarter Horse Derby (R-G2) after winning his trial heat Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.
Owned by CHR Racing and trained by Tony Sedillo, Boot Scoots and jockey Mauro Salcedo inched clear of his rivals in the final yards of the 400-yard dash, the final of four trials on the day, stopping the clock in a time of 19.604 seconds while winning by three-quarters of a length over a fast track.
The son of Jess a Chicks improved his career record to four wins from 12 starts while winning for the third time over the Ruidoso Downs strip.
Bred in New Mexico by Jaime Cervantes, Boot Scoots won a trial heat for the Mountain Top QH Derby two starts back on May 31. Last time out, he was disqualified from fourth and placed last in an allowance dash.
Jess A Chicks, winner of the 2009 Zia Futurity and earner of more than $175,000 on the racetrack, is a son of the Chicks A Blazin and out of the mare Jess Satin, third place finisher in the 2004 Ruidoso Juvenile Invitational.
Boot Scoots, out of the Heza Motor Scooter mare Shez Jessa Scooter, is one of four qualifiers trained by Sedillo scheduled to compete in the Zia QH Derby, which will be run on Saturday, July 19.
Sedillo will also be represented by Eye Im Flashin, the second fastest qualifier for the final and winner of Saturday’s second trial heat. Ridden by Jacob Enriquez, the son of Eye Am King hit the finish line in a time of 19.679 seconds.
Eye Im Flashin, fourth last time out in the Mountain Top Derby, has won four times from 13 career starts.
Bred in New Mexico by Paul Cervantes and owned by Tungsten Racing Partnership, Eye Im Flashin is out of the unraced First Moonflash mare Startedwithawhisper. First Moonflash, a multiple Grade 1 winner and earner of nearly $1 million on the racetrack, has produced several Grade 1 stakes winners, including Flash And Roll, as well as Handsome Jack Flash and Too Flash For You.
In addition to Boot Scoots and Eye Im Flashin, Sedillo will also be represented by Alamos, winner of the Mountain Top Derby last month and ninth fastest qualifier for the Zia Derby. The son of Eye Am King won the third trial heat in a time of 19.801 seconds under Salcedo.
Owned by Tungsten Racing Partnership and purchased for $185,000 at the 2023 Ruidoso New Mexico Bred QH Yearling Sale, Alamos has recorded four wins from 10 starts with earnings of more than $115,000. Alamos is out of the Woodbridge mare Anakena, a three-time winner from 12 lifetime starts.
Woody Rocks, the fourth qualifier for the Zia Derby from Sedillo’s barn, is also a multiple stakes winner. The son of Woodbridge won last year’s Zia Futurity, and also scored a win earlier this year in the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association Stakes at Sunland Park. In all, Woody Rocks now has won six times from 11 lifetime starts.
Alepony LLC and trainer Jesus Soto will be represented in the Zia QH Derby by multiple stakes winning Harken, who won the first trial heat on Saturday under Noe Garcia, Jr. in a time of 19.692 seconds.
Harken enters the Zia Derby as the most accomplished runner in the field, with
eight wins from 13 lifetime starts, including stakes wins in the West Texas Derby earlier this year at Sunland Park, as well as last year’s Mountain Top Futurity. Bred in New Mexico by MJ Farms, Harken has amassed more than $364,000 in career earnings. Out of multiple stakes-winning mare Donelli, Harken has won five times from six starts at Ruidoso Downs.
For a full list of qualifiers for the Zia QH Derby, check out stallionesearch.com.