Saturday, August 11, 2012
A total of 257 2-year-olds – including nine registered New Mexico-breds – have been entered in Thursday's 440-yard All American Futurity (G1) trials at Ruidoso Downs.
Post time for the first of 26 trials is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. (MDT). The last race has a scheduled post time of 7:05 p.m.
The nine New Mexico-breds entered in the trials include graded stakes winners PJ Chick In Black and Gonna Cha Cha. A brown daughter of Desirio racing for Fredda Draper and Dennis C. Bowen and trained by Carl Draper, PJ Chick In Black has won all four of her starts – including the June 9, $600,000 Ruidoso Futurity (G1), and the April 8, $251,359 New Mexican Spring Futurity (RG2) at Sunland Park – and she has earned $426,239.
PJ Chick In Black will be ridden by Esgar Ramirez from post 3 in the 24th trial.
Also undefeated, Gonna Cha Cha is coming off of a head victory against state-breds in the 400-yard, $395,028 Zia Futurity (RG1) at Ruidoso. The brown gelding by the Real Runaway stallion Gonna Ro Sham Bo is trained by Juan M. Gonzalez, and he has banked $173,412 from three outs for his owners, Norma Alvarez, Brenda Alvarez, and Debra Laney.
Gonna Cha Cha drew post 4 in the second trial and will be ridden by Cody Wainscott.
PJ Chick In Black and Gonna Cha Cha were both supplemented to the All American Futurity trials by their connections for $50,000.
The other seven New Mexico-breds entered in the All American Futurity trials are Rabbits Rabbit and Ketel Now, both of whom drew into the ninth heat, The Faraon (16th trial), Brotherman (who was also supplemented for $50,000 and drew into the 18th trial), Conn Creek (19th trial), Jess Southern (21st trial), and An Absolut Diamond (22nd trial).
A homebred Jesse James Jr colt racing for Craig Joplin and trained by Emmitt Burelsmith Jr., Brotherman scored a three-quarter length victory in a Zia Futurity trial on July 13. Conn Creek is a Dash Ta Fame colt owned by Paul Blanchard of Albuquerque who ran third, two lengths behind PJ Chick In Black, in the New Mexican Spring Futurity.
The 10 fastest qualifiers from Thursday's trials will meet in the All American Futurity final on Labor Day, September 3.