Fillies look fastest in Ruidoso Futurity

Girls rule.

The fillies Flash and Roll and Suze Returns emerged as the fastest qualifiers for the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity for Quarter Horses after 32 trials run over two cards last month at Ruidoso Downs.

On Sunday, those two figure to vie for favoritism in the finale, while a third filly in the 10-horse field, Pj Splash of Joy, will be a sentimental favorite following the death of her trainer, John Cooper, in a plane crash May 31.

The Ruidoso Futurity forms a local 2-year-old series with the $1 million Rainbow Futurity and the $3 million All American Futurity. The owner of the horse who can sweep the rich futurities will earn a $2 million bonus.

Flash and Roll, who won her 350-yard Ruidoso trial in 17.79 seconds on May 25, and Suze Returns, who qualified in 17.89 on May 26, outshined their male counterparts during trials, but it’s not such an unusual situation.

“In Quarter Horse racing, the fillies are on a very level playing field with the boys through their 2-year-old year,” said Mike Joiner, who trains Flash and Roll. “After their 2-year-old year, the fillies have a little harder time competing with the boys, especially going 400, 440 yards, unless they’re superior. But the fillies are on a very equal playing field as 2-year-olds, especially the first half of the year, because they seem to mature just a little quicker mentally and physically than the colts do.”

Flash and Roll took no prisoners in her trial, leading throughout for a 1 1/2-length win under G.R. Carter, who retains the mount from post 10.

“We naturally were really pleased,” said Joiner, who trains Flash and Roll for Scott Bryant. “She really ran a nice race and looks really talented.

“She came out of the race really well. She wasn’t dragging by any means, and when you’ve got to come back in two weeks, that’s always a good sign. I’m hoping to improve off that race. She’s going to have to improve. It’s a really tough race.”

Joiner said he likes the outside draw for Flash and Roll since she drew the same post for her trial and broke from the outside in a training race at Ruidoso.

Suze Returns is the most accomplished starter in the field as the winner of the Grade 2, $269,528 West Texas Futurity on April 14 at Sunland. Overall, she is 3 for 3. Jaime Leos has the mount for Joe Rios and trainer Juan C. Gonzalez.