Fly First Down Faces Big Test In $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (June 9, 2011) – Tremor Enterprises’s fastest-qualifier Fly First Down attempts to complete the meteoric rise to major futurity winner in just his second career race when he starts in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

The Ruidoso Futurity is the first major test of the Ruidoso Downs’ summer season and the first leg of the All American Triple Crown. Completing the All American Triple Crown are the Grade 1, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity on July 24 and the Grade ,1 $2,400,000 All American Futurity, the world’s richest quarter horse race, on Labor Day. The All American Futurity winner’s share of $1,200,000 is the most lucrative in quarter horse racing.

If a horse can win all three grade 1 futurities then that horse’s connections would be the first winner of the $4,000,000 All American Triple Crown Bonus, the richest in quarter horse racing.

Fly First Down joins the other nine Ruidoso Futurity runners trying to take the first step towards annexing the All American Triple Crown Bonus with a win in the 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity.

From the barn of 9-time defending national training champion Paul Jones, Fly First Down made his career debut in the Ruidoso Futurity on May 27 and he proved to be the fastest horse from the 195 entrants who competed in the 21 qualifying races. The horses with the top-10 times from those trials became eligible to race in the Ruidoso Futurity.

The First Down Dash-sired Fly First Down stood out with a 3-length romp in his Ruidoso Futurity trial under champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. and he covered the 350 yards in :17.502, the equivalent of one-half length faster than second-fastest qualifier TMF Cash Dynasty.

Carter is once again aboard Fly First Down and they drew the third post position.

Fly First Down was a $300,000 purchase at the 2010 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale and raced in his Ruidoso Futurity trial under the ownership of Francisco Colorado Cessa. He now races for Jose Trevino’s Tremor Enterprises in the Ruidoso Futurity. Trevino has experienced widespread success in quarter horse racing over the past few years. His top-tier runners include 2009 champion 2-year-old colt Tempting Dash, 2010 All American Futurity winner Mr Piloto and Separate Fire, recent winner of the Grade1 Kindergarten for Jones and California’s top futurity hopeful.

Sunset Well Services’ TMF Cash Dynasty was also a daylight trial winner and he stopped the clock in :17.602. The Albert Franco-trained gelding accelerated throughout his trial and pushed his advantage to one-and-one-quarter lengths at the wire.

TMF Cash Dynasty, a son of first-year sire FDD Dynasty, made his only other start in a West Texas Futurity trial at Sunland Park and it proved to be an unsuccessful experience. He veered inward at the start, finished in seventh place and was disqualified and placed last.

Abel Torres rode TMF Cash Dynasty during the trial victory and gets aboard again with the inside post position.

Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays’ Sure Shot B tries for his third win from as many starts in the Ruidoso Futurity. The John Stinebaugh-trained gelding won his West Texas Futurity trial, but did not have a time that qualified for the futurity, before winning his Ruidoso Futurity trial. The Stoli son won his trial by a neck over sixth-fastest qualifier Back In The Pack and his time of :17.605 is the third-fastest qualifying mark.

Sure Shot B drew the seventh post position and 2010 champion jockey Jacky Martin is up.

Texas Broads’ Valiant Valor holds the stakes credentials that could be advantageous against his lesser experienced rivals in the Ruidoso Futurity. He raced to a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 West Texas Futurity for trainer Blane Wood and then overcame trouble to win his Ruidoso Futurity trial. After getting off to bumpy start, he rallied to win by one-half length and his time of :17.674 was the ninth-fastest qualifying mark.

Ricky Ramirez has been named to ride Valiant Valor with the sixth position.

First post time for Sunday’s program is 1 p.m. with free parking and free general admission.