RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (July 23, 2017) — Juan Medina’s Eagle Jazz defeated chief rival Uptown Dynasty and kept his chances alive for the $4-million All American Triple Crown Bonus with a romping win in the Grade 1, $1-million Rainbow Futurity on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
Eagle Jazz finished in a dead heat with Melvin Neugebauer’s Uptown Dynasty in the Grade 1, $1-million Ruidoso Futurity and now Eagle Jazz has the win in the Rainbow Futurity. If he can qualify for the Grade 1, $3-million All American Futurity and win the 440-yard classic, his connections would be the first to take the $4-million All American Triple Crown bonus. His total earning would approximate $6.4-million. That would easily make him the all-time leading money earning quarter horse. He came into the Rainbow Futurity with $480,449 in earnings and he added $420,000 with the Rainbow Futurity.
It was an historic weekend for trainer Judd Kearl. He won the $1.15-million Rainbow Derby on Saturday with Hold Air Hostage. He is only the second trainer to win the Rainbow Derby and the Rainbow Futurity during the same year. Johnie Goodman pulled off the feat in 1981 with Special Effort winning the Rainbow Futurity and Higheasterjet taking the Rainbow Derby.
Kearl saddled four horses in the Rainbow Futurity and three horses in the Rainbow Derby. His horses earned $1,230,875, which equates to 57.25 percent of the total purses in the two races.
“Reality may set in tomorrow,” said Kearl. “I’m glad it’s all over.”
Eagle Jazz easily did his work in the Rainbow Futurity. He finished three quarters of a length ahead of Uptown Dynasty and it was just another nose back to third-place finisher Starfield.
The Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo-ridden Eagle Jazz started from the ninth post position and Hotstepper, in the eighth post position, broke slowly from the starting gate. That gave Eagle Jazz added running room.
A powerful gelding by world champion and All American Futurity winner One Dashing Eagle, Eagle Jazz had the lead within the first 200 yards and then easily handled his rivals for his sixth win from seven lifetime starts. His only defeat was a second by a head in the $1-million Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity.
“I was a little worried about the outside (post position),” said Kearl. “He’s a monster.”
Eagle Jazz established the fastest time on the first day of trials to the Ruidoso Futurity. Uptown Dynasty raced to the third-quickest mark on the second day of trials.
Those two horses then finished on equal terms in the Ruidoso Futurity.
In the Rainbow Futurity trials, Eagle Jazz won his trial by three-and-one-quarter lengths and Uptown Dynasty was a winner by a neck in his trial. They each raced to the fastest time of their trial day.
Uptown Dynasty won three straight races for trainer Wes Giles before his valiant second-place finish from the inside post position under Larry Payne.
Paragon Farms, LLC’s Starfield, a $102,000 Ruidoso Select Sale Yearling purchase, came into the Rainbow Futurity after wins in his Ruidoso Futurity trial and then Rainbow Futurity trial for trainer Kearl. The colt was ridden by Agustin Silva.
In the $100,000 Rainbow Juvenile, for horses that did not qualify for the Rainbow Futurity, Tough Dynasty 123 mounted a late charge to get the win.
Carolyn Bay’s homebred Tough Dynasty 123, a half-brother to 2011 world champion Cold Cash 123, drifted in and brushed with a rival before powering on a one-half length win under Jose Montoya in his second career start.
The gelding by Fdd Dynasty covered the 400 yards in :19.910 while winning his maiden.
Jack Smith Farm’s Hes Limitless, a $105,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, was second by a neck over Jess Shantastic.
Tough Dynasty 123, trained by Sleepy Gilbreath, is rounding into form with the All American Futurity trials on the on the horizon, August 18-19.
In his only other start, his Rainbow Futurity trial, he was second by nose while racing the 400 yards in :19.991.
“He’s been late to mature,” said Gilbreath. “I think distance will be good for him and the (440 yard) All American Futurity trials are next.”
Tough Dynasty’s half-brother Cold Cash 123 developed at this time of year for Gilbreath. He won the $150,000 All American Juvenile and then took the Southwest Juvenile Championship at Sunland Park. As a 3-year-old, Cold Cash 123 won the Grade 1, $899,524 Rainbow Derby, the Grade 1 $335,631Texas Classic Derby and the Grade 1, $245,000 The Championship at Sunland Park.
Cold Cash 123 won 13 of 27 starts and earned $1,409,781.
Runner-up Hes Limitless, a son of Corona Cartel and 2012 champion two-year-old filly PJ Chick In Black, ran a game race while searching for his first win.
Hes Limitless is trained by John Stinebaugh and ridden by Augustin Silva.
Stanley Forbes’ homebred third-place finisher Jess Shantastic finished second in each of her previous two starts. The Fantastic Corona Jr-sired filly is trained by Tony Sedillo and ridden by Adrian A. Ramos.
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Photo courtesy of Cristian Castro
ROCK A BILLY PULLS UPSET IN GRADE 3
AQHA ALBUQUERQUE DISTANCE CHALLENGE
ALBUQUERQUE -- Rock A Billy, an 8-1 longshot in the seven-horse field, earned his first stakes win in Sunday’s $56,520 AQHA Albuquerque Distance Challenge Stakes (G3) at Albuquerque Downs.
Ridden by Luis Rodriguez for owner Rockin J Running Horses of Gatesville, Texas, and trainer Tammy Kay Johnson, Rock A Billy went 870 yards in :44.475, and his winning margin was 1 1/4 lengths from runner-up Fire Thorn.
Jess A Hilbily Bone, a stablemate of and full brother to Rock A Billy, finished third as the 6-5 favorite.
Rock A Billy has won five of 21 starts, including all three of his races at the 870-yard distance. The homebred 4-year-old son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Rock Solid Jess was coming off of a two-length win in an 870-yard, $14,000 allowance race at Ruidoso Downs on June 25.
“Horses by Rock Solid Jess really seem to like the 870 distance, and we’ve had good luck with 870 horses,” said Johnson, who also trains CJs Rocksolid, a homebred son of Rock Solid Jess who won the May 14 AQHA Remington Distance Challenge (G3) at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.
“This was a tough field, but this horse outran some really tough horses in that Ruidoso allowance race, and he did it fairly easily, so we thought we really had something here.”In addition to earning the $27,695 winner’s share of the Albuquerque Distance Challenge purse, Rock A Billy landed a berth in the October 14, $105,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows near Des Moines, Iowa.
Johnson said that Rock Solid Jess would make at least one more start, either in the regional AQHA Distance Challenge stakes at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, Texas, or Will Rogers Downs at Claremore, Oklahoma, this fall.
Daring And Dashing finished fourth, 5 3/4 lengths behind Rock A Billy, and was followed by Kingsbury, April Dawn, and Classic James.
NOTES FROM THE DOWNS: American Quarter Horse Association chief racing officer Janet Van Bebber and New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association executive director Anna Fay Davis were in the winner’s circle to present the winning trophy to the connections of Rock A Billy.... Live racing resumes at Albuquerque Downs with a nine-race all-Thoroughbred program on Wednesday, beginning at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday night is also the track’s third and final $1 hot dog night. Dollar hot dogs will be available, while supplies last, at the first- and second-floor refreshment stands in the grandstand, as well as the First Turn Lounge and food court at the Downs’ casino.... A field of six 3-year-old Thoroughbreds is entered in Saturday’s 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 Duke City Sprint Stakes. Dewey Williams’ Outrageous Green, a stakes winner during the Arapahoe Park meet, drew post 3 and will be ridden by Enrique Gomez for trainer Eugene Burns.