Flashin Fire Comes from Behind to Win Zia QH Futurity Sunday at Ruidoso Downs Race Track
Flashin Fire, a two-year-old gelding, overcame a sluggish last-place start to pass the entire field of horses in the final strides and win the $319,805 Zia Quarter Horse Futurity (GI) during the Zia Festival Sunday at Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino.
“We got started behind so I made the decision right away to move to the outside,” jockey Juan Pulido said. “We were able to go around them and then we finally caught the ten-horse (Cowboy Zulu) just in time.”
Bettors made Flashin Fire the 3-1 second choice at the windows in the eleventh race. The horse paid $8.60, $6.20, and $4.00 in a winning time of 20.008 seconds for 400-yards. The gelding is owned by Jose Guzman and trained by Santos Carrizales, Jr.
Flashin Fire’s sire is First Moonflash out of the mare Episode of Fire by Walk Thru Fire. It was the second win in four starts for the youngster who is now expected to head to Zia Park in Hobbs for their scheduled Futurity for two-year-olds in the fall.
In the ninth race, LMG First Call and jockey Raul Valenzuela broke sharply and held on by a neck to win the $50,000 Zia Quarter Horse Juvenile for owner Laura Gilliam (LMG Racing) and trainer Mike Joiner.
The gelding covered the 400-yards in 19.866 seconds going off at nearly 6-1 odds. The horse paid $13.40, $7.40 and $5.80 to win for the first time in four starts. LMG First Call’s sire is First Moonflash out of the mare Call Me 333 by One Sweet Jess.
In the $50,000 Lincoln Stakes for thoroughbreds three-years-old and up, Flight Song, a five-year-old mare, came from five-wide in the stretch to overtake heavy favorites Count Them Again and Let It roll to win the eighth race at odds of nearly 10-1.
Flight Song paid $21.80, $7.60 and $3.40 to win for the seventh time in her career. The mare has lifetime earnings that are approaching $300,000. She is owned by Pierre Jean Amestoy Jr., Leslie Amestoy and Roger Beasley, and trained by James Lackey. The mare’s sire is Attila’s Storm out of the mare Hang Glide by Dome.
The tenth race was the $50,000 Road Runner stakes for three-year-olds going five-and-a-half furlongs. Awesome Storm and jockey Tracy Hebert were disqualified by stewards for an incident in the stretch involving the second-place finisher Izeright and jockey Miguel Perez. Stewards ruled that Awesome Storm and Hebert came out into the path of Izeright and Perez and switched the final order of finish.
Bettors sent Izeright off at 3-1 odds and the gelding returned $7.40, $3.40 and $2.60. The time of the race was 1:03.55 seconds. Izeright’s sire is Right Rigger out of the mare Vowsmakemeblush by Desert God.
In the seventh race, an 870-yard race for quarter horses and thoroughbreds three-years-old and up, Wascallywittlewabbit broke the track record for that distance in winning by three-lengths in a time of 44.438 seconds. The previous track record was held by TwoTimesTheFly set on August 24, 2003.
The gelding is a six-year-old sired by Heza Motor Scooter out of the mare Rabbits N Diamonds by Rabbits Rainbow. He is owned by Jarett Case Rogers (Rogers Farms) and trained by Mike Joiner. This is Wascallywittlewabbit’s ninth career win in nineteen attempts with earnings approaching $200,000.
Racing action continues next weekend at Ruidoso Downs with thoroughbred and quarter horse racing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Post time is 1 p.m. each day.
Track activities next weekend will include the Chile the Kid Beer and Wine Festival Presented by City Bank which features New Mexico produced beer and wine crafters selling their products, fresh roasted green chiles from Hatch, music all day starting at noon, and numerous vendors located in a giant tent outside Billy the Kid Casino.