Valiant Tiberias Takes the Mr Jet Moore Handicap

Breaking New Ground Captures Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial Stakes

Photo of Valiant Tiberias by Jake Rogers, courtesy of Ruidoso Downs 

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM – AUGUST 2, 2020 – In a race that was loaded with talent, Valiant Tiberias charged to the wire with a time of :19.784 and finished ¾ of a length ahead of Sc Money Maker (2nd) and Shockinglyfamous (3rd) to win the $40,000  Grade 2 Mr Jet Moore Handicap. Apocalyptical Jess, the 2018 All American Futurity champion, finished fourth by a length.

The brown gelding by Valiant Hero out of American Feature by Feature Mr Jess was bred in Oklahoma and is owned by Sergio Holguin, Clifton Neilsen and Felix Rodriguez. Hailing from the barn of Wesley Giles, Valiant Tiberias was the morning line favorite and ran the 400 yards without incident.

“This horse loves Ruidoso,” said trainer Giles. “We had a couple issues with him in Oklahoma, but as soon as he got to the mountains it was a different race horse. We’ll point him toward the All American Gold Cup and see what happens.”

Jockey Alan Hernandez was aboard for the winning ride today on a fast track.

“As soon as he broke, I knew we had it,” said Hernandez. “It was good to get back in the winner’s circle with him.”

In the co-feature race of the day, the $20,000 Bobby Dan Crenshaw Memorial, morning line favorite, Breaking New Ground, broke cleanly and never gave up the lead in the 1000-yard race. The Oklahoma-bred won by a length over second place finisher Shangroyal with a time of :51.96.

Owned by RH Resources/Ronnie Robertson et al, the sorrel gelding is by One Dashing Eagle out of Heavenly Trip by Splash Bac. The horse is trained by Todd Fincher who today also saw his son, jockey Tanner Fincher, win his first race when he rode Cool And Quick to victory in the fourth race.

“He got a great start, held his own and cruised home,” said trainer Fincher of Breaking New Ground.

According to winning jockey Alfredo Juarez, Jr.: “Even though he’s a Quarter Horse you can rate him. We were strong from the start, and this horse can really take a turn. This is a very nice horse, and the distance was perfect.” (Download finish line picture of Breaking New Ground)

Racing continues next weekend at Ruidoso Downs with the $20,000 Brigand Handicap on Sunday. Post time is 1:00 PM MDT on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. At this time, the Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity due to the Public Health Order from the State of New Mexico. For more information on how to watch online, place your bet with your favorite online wagering provider, or conduct drive-thru wagering, please visit RaceRuidoso.com.