Champion Cyber Attack fully cranked for Ruidoso Derby
Cyber Attack was not fully prepared when he won a division of the Ruidoso Derby trials at Ruidoso Downs on May 28 in his first start of the year.
“I know he needed the race for as good as he ran,” trainer Chris O’Dell said on Wednesday. “I don’t think I had him down real tight.”
That is not good news for the other owners and trainers with runners in Saturday’s $895,633 final at 400 yards.
Cyber Attack, the champion 2-year-old colt of 2022, won his third consecutive race in his trial for the Ruidoso Derby, finishing in 19.39 seconds. Cyber Attack ended 2022 with a win in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in California.
Owned by Connie Rosenthal, Cyber Attack will break from post 2 in the Ruidoso Derby, the track’s first major stakes of the season. The Ruidoso Futurity is the highlight of Sunday’s program.
Cyber Attack has won 2 of 4 starts at Ruidoso Downs, and was second in the Rainbow Futurity last July despite severely grabbing a quarter shortly after the start of the 400-yard race.
Since the Ruidoso Derby trial, O’Dell has seen overall improvement in Cyber Attack’s condition.
“To me, he looks fit,” O’Dell said. “Now, he looks tight. He’s got some air in his lungs and I’m excited.”
This is Cyber Attack’s fourth stakes final. He has been the fastest qualifier in each race, including the Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos last fall. He finished second by a nose in the final.
“Some horses set the fastest time and don’t come back,” O’Dell said. “He’s had the fastest time in quite a few different races.
“He can run a good trial and finish it off in the final. That’s a sign of a good horse.”
Cyber Attack will be favored in a Ruidoso Derby field that includes Rock a Jess V, the winner of the Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park last November, and Shakers No Secret, the winner of the West Texas Maturity against older horses at Sunland Park in March.
Rock a Jess V was third behind Cyber Attack in the Ruidoso Derby trials in his first start of 2023. Shakers No Secret won a division of the trials in 19.85 seconds.
The race had 10 qualifiers, but will have a maximum of nine runners. Ivory Senator, second by a head to Cyber Attack in the trials, collapsed and died of an internal injury while being pulled up, according to state racing officials. Ivory Senator’s death is part of an ongoing investigation, officials said.
Ivory Senator will be paid 10th-place prize money of $20,084 for gaining a berth in the Ruidoso Derby. The winner’s share is $374,919.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.