Copper Top First And Third Finishers Lead Qualifiers To Mountain Top Futurity

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (June 10, 2011) –Copper Top Futurity winner I Play Dirty will face Copper Top Futurity third-place finisher My Homey in the $136,000 Mountain Top Thoroughbred Futurity after the pair won two of the three trials at Ruidoso Downs on Friday afternoon.

The final field consists of the top-three finishers in each of the three Mountain Top Futurity trials for New Mexico-breds. The 10th horse in the Mountain Top Futurity on June 26 will be determined by a blind draw between the three fourth-place finishers in the trials.

Joe Dee Brooks’ I Play Dirty sprinted to the lead in the first trial and then easily drew away from his eight rivals to win by more than four lengths. He was timed in 1:01.11 with Juan Ochoa aboard.

The Todd Fincher-trained I Play Dirty earned 2-5 favoritism in the trial after winning the Copper Top Futurity at Sunland Park on April 16. The gelding, a 7-1 outsider in the Copper Top, won by a neck with a 4-wide move through the stretch.

Also qualifying from that trial were second-place finisher Band Of Glory and third-place runner Gerda’s Home.

In the third trial, My Homey thoroughly dominated the competition while drawing out to an 11-length win in a :59.60, the quickest time from the three trials. Jockey Jorge Martin Bourdieu let him roll to the lead out of the gate and he was never approached while cruising to the overwhelming win as the even-money favorite.

Miss Desert Freeze finished second while I Do My Own Tricks was third.

The Papis Aldavaz-trained My Homey won his maiden when he took his Copper Top Futurity trial in his second career start. He set the pace as the 2-1 favorite in the Copper Top Futurity, however gave way in the stretch.

Fincher won the second trial when Scootonover held off a bid from Koufax to remain undefeated from a pair of starts.

Scootonover, with Dusty Shepherd up, went to the lead within the first quarter mile and repelled a bid from Hot For You rounding the turn. Koufax mounted a threatening bid through the stretch, but was unable to collar Scootonover.

The 1-2 favorite, Scootonover was timed 1:00.59 for the neck victory over Koufax. It was another one-and-one half lengths back to Hot For You.

Scootonover was an impressive four-and-three-quarter length winner of his career debut at Sunland Park in April.

The three fourth-place finishers who will be in the draw for the final spot in the Mountain Top Futurity are Roll Devil Roll, No More Day’s and Shes A Looker RF.