Luxuri makes highly anticipated debut in Heritage Place Futurity trials

The well-bred Quarter Horse filly Luxuri carries a massive reputation for her debut in a division of the Heritage Place Futurity trials at Remington Park on Saturday.

Luxuri is a half-sister to Whistle Stop Cafe, the undefeated Quarter Horse World Champion of 2020 who won the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico last September.

A few weeks later, Gene Schindler paid $63,000 for Luxuri at the Heritage Place yearling sale in Oklahoma City. Trained by John Stinebaugh, Luxuri is by the late stallion Duponte, the champion 3-year-old colt of 2017 whose oldest foals are 2-year-olds this year. Duponte died of medical complications last May.

Luxuri is one of three registered 2-year-olds of 2021 out of the stakes winner Sinuous, along with Enthusyast and Inspyre. Enthusyast has yet to start, while Inspyre was a game second in a maiden special weight race at Remington Park on April 25 in his debut. The registration of multiple Quarter Horse foals is allowed through embryo transfers.

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Luxuri has had four recorded workouts at Retama Park and Remington Park since Feb. 11, the quickest of which was her latest – 250 yards in 13.51 seconds from the gate at Remington Park on April 21, the third-fastest of 104 works at the distance.

There are 11 350-yard time trials on Saturday for the Heritage Place Futurity on May 29. The runners with the five fastest times, regardless of finishing positions, earn spots in the final along with the five fastest runners from 11 trials on Friday.

Sam Houston: On Nyx in first trial division

The first horse to enter the starting gate in the first division of Saturday’s Sam Houston Futurity trials is the most accomplished 2-year-old in any of the 11 time trials on the program.

On Nyx, the winner of the $302,010 Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity at Louisiana Downs on April 3, drew the rail in the second race on the card. On Nyx, a filly by Kiss My Hocks, will have her debut for leading trainer Juan Diaz Jr. after having been previously trained by Alonso Neri.

Diaz has runners in 10 of the 11 trials.

Five other runners from the Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity, including second- through fourth-place finishes Lucky Dice, El Gansito, and Kosmos Spoetzl, are entered in the Sam Houston Futurity trials at 330 yards.

The runners with the five fastest times earn berths in the May 28 final, which has an estimated record purse of $700,000. There are 11 trials scheduled for Friday’s program.

Whistle Stop Cafe works at Ruidoso

Whistle Stop Cafe had her first recorded workout of 2021 at Ruidoso Downs on Thursday, going 220 yards in 11.41 seconds.

Trainer Trey Wood described the workout as “exceptional.

“We let her do it on her own,” he said. “She’s a freak of an athlete, that’s the only way to put it.”

Unraced since the All American Futurity, Whistle Stop Cafe is scheduled to have her first start of the year in time trials for the Rainbow Derby or Rainbow Oaks for fillies on July 11. The finals of those races are on July 24.

“We have a couple of different possibilities,” Wood said. “With the Oaks race, you weed out your colts and geldings.”

Later in the summer, the All American Derby, with trials on Aug. 22 and a final on Sept. 5, is a goal for the filly, who races for Lainie and Raymond Whitmire of Sallisaw, Okla. Whistle Stop Cafe is unbeaten in six starts and was also named champion 2-year-old filly and overall champion 2-year-old of 2020.

Whistle Stop Cafe has earned $1,974,986.