Trainer Ricardo Armendariz will saddle a pair of runners in the July 20 Zia Quarter Horse Futurity (R-G1) after trials were held Friday at Ruidoso Downs.
Armendariz teamed with jockey Jesse Levario and owner Eric Pineda as King Estate rolled to a 5 1/2 length win in the third of 12 trial heats, becoming the fastest qualifier for the 400-yard dash, crossing the finish line in a time of 19.484 seconds.
The son of Eye Am King, a $43,000 purchase from breeder MJ Farms at the 2024 Ruidoso New Mexico Bred QH Yearling Sale, picked up his first career win in the trial heat. He debuted at Ruidoso on May 30, finishing second behind Dyna Mo Chimes in trials for the Mountain Top Futurity. That runner came back to win the Mountain Top Juvenile Stakes on June 15.
King Estate is out of the First Down Dash mare Curlie Cue, a five-time winner from 18 career starts and earner of more than $54,000 including a second place finish in the 2014 Denim N Diamonds Handicap at Los Alamitos. Curlie Cue is related to quarter horse world champion Dash For Cash as well as thoroughbred champions In Excess and Siberian Express.
Armendariz will also be represented in the Zia QH Futurity by MW Heart Of A Hero, winner of the fifth trial heat and eighth-fastest qualifier for the finals.
Owned and bred by Larry Marcum and Nancy C. Wells, MW Heart Of A Hero has two wins from three career starts and earnings of more than $29,000. The son of B Cause Im A Hero and out of the Tres Seis mare Tres Martinis, he won his trial by three-quarters of a length in a final time of 20.135 seconds.
Alepony LLC’s Holliday, fourth place finisher in the Mountain Top Futurity last time out, also earned a spot in the starting gate for the Zia QH Futurity, narrowly finishing second behind Eddy Cartel in the seventh trial heat of the day.
Bred by MJ Farms, Holliday was an $61,000 purchase at the 2024 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale and has two wins from five lifetime starts with earnings of more than $78,000. Trained by Jesus Soto, the son of Big Daddy Cartel won a trial for the New Mexico Spring Futurity last March before finishing third in that race on April 5.
Holiday’s damsire Bigtime Favorite was an earner of more than $324,000, with second place finishes in both the 2004 Texas Classic and Sam Houston Futurities.
Trainer Wes Giles also qualified a pair of starters for the Zia QH Futurity, including Czar Catrina, winner of the eighth trial dash, as well as Mi Capitan, upset winner of the second trial dash. Giles has won more than 1,450 quarter horse races including past Zia Futurity winners Jess Fire Chick and KJ Daddys Money.
Mi Capitan, owned by Robert Driggers and Ben Ivey, broke his maiden in his trial heat, becoming the third fastest qualifier for the Zia Futurity with a time of 19.885 seconds. The son of Jet Black Patriot, bred by Ivey Cattle Co. is out of the First Moonflash mare Riverside Flash, winner of three of seven career starts including trials for the 2017 New Mexico Classic Futurity and the New Mexico State Fair Futurity. For a full list of qualifiers for the Zia QH Futurity, check out stallionesearch.com.