Closing day and we saw the best two-year-old quarter horses in the world in the big one and its consolation. First was the All American Juvenile for horses who did not qualify to the All American Futurity.
Read MoreThe story for the first four races, the All American Oaks Trials, wasRatification who won by five lengths in a time of 21.269 with the next-fastest time in the Oaks Trials coming from Kieva in 21.533. Coming off a head victory in the Rainbow Oaks and now having four straight victories, Ratification left no doubt as to who the favorite will be for the AA Oaks in two weeks' time.
Read MoreThe Rio Grande Senorita and Rio Grande Senor were the highlights of this Sunday card and trainer Todd Fincher took home the top prize in both. Comic Hot Toddy dueled outside a rival through pretty quick opening fractions of 21.75 and 44.50 then took charge and drew away under jockey Shane Laviolette to cover five-and-one-half furlongs in 1.03.97 for the Senorita restricted to fillies.
Read MoreSunday featured two stakes for quarter horses, the Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial going 1000 yards for three-year-olds and upward and the Mr Jet Moore Handicap going 400 yards also for three-year-olds and
upward.
Zia Festival weekend was chock full of New Mexico-bred stakes action. Friday saw the Rio Grande Senorita and Senor trials for two-year-old thoroughbreds. Trainer Fred Danley came away with a victory in one of the Senorita trials with Fill The Bill, the disqualified winner of the Mountain Top Futurity, and a second-place effort by Bully Baby. Trainer Joel Marr completed the exacta in the first of the Senorita trials when Atill I Chime held off stablemate Speedy Wildcat who made a strong bid inside the former but could not get past.
Read MoreIt was cloudy most of the day, but the sun started to peak through about the time of the Rainbow Juvenile Stakes and then the clouds parted nearly completely by the time of the Rainbow Futurity. However, there were no rainbows to be seen in the sky, but some great two year olds did show up on the track.
Saturday saw the Zia Derby trials as races two through six, from which the 10 fastest times will proceed to the finals. The seasonal bow of Mister Riptide was a winning one, earning him the eighth-fastest time of the day and a berth two weeks hence. He was the only horse from the first two of five total trials to make the finals.
Read MoreTrials for the inaugural Rainbow Oaks took place in races one through four today. The fourth and final saw the triumphant return of Fernweh, winner of the 2019 Ruidoso Futurity. Jockey Ricky Ramirez never uncocked his stick and she strolled to win by two-and-a-half in 21.350. That time was not the fastest for the fillies-only trials, which went to Ratification the trial prior who dominated in 21.293.
Read MoreSaturday had mostly cloudy weather throughout the day, but as horses were getting ready to come on the track for the 9th race lightning strikes were nearby and then a large hail storm came down, postponing that event. After the weather died down things got back on track and the 10th race, albeit delayed, showcased stakes horses three-year-olds and upward going 350 yards.
Read MoreToday featured partly cloudy skies, just a moderate wind, and plenty of stakes action. The eighth race kicked off three stakes in a row beginning with the Rita Danley Distaff Stakes for New Mexico-bred QH fillies and mares three years old and up.
Read MoreThe $100,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Juvenile and $1,000,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Futurity (Grade 1) were the highlight of the weekend and of Sunday's card. Trainer Sergio Ibarra followed up a big win on Saturday in the Ruidoso Quarter Horse Derby by sending out the winners of both of Sunday's stakes races.
Read MoreIn the previous Stable Notes I discussed some of the qualifiers for the finals from Friday's Mountain Top NM Bred QH Futurity trials. One trainer's name surprisingly absent from that list was Wesley Giles who encountered a bit of bad luck throughout the day, notably with horses previously profiled as horses to watch.
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