Meet opens with big weekend of time trials

Every thousandth of a second is crucial through the first three days of the Ruidoso Downs meeting that begins in southern New Mexico on Friday.

The Friday and Saturday programs consist of 32 time trials for the Ruidoso Futurity at 350 yards on June 8. The five runners with the fastest time from each day advance to the final. The Ruidoso Futurity is the first of three seven-figure futurities at the spring-summer meeting, culminating with the $3 million All American Futurity on Sept. 2.

On Sunday, there are 10 time trials for the Ruidoso Derby at 400 yards on June 7.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

While the 80 runners in the derby trials include several familiar names from leading futurities in 2023, the two days of futurity trials have 311 entrants, dominated by first-time starters.

The most notable name missing from the weekend trials is Dark Nme, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2023. Dark Nme was not entered in Sunday’s trials because of a scheduling error involving two required workouts for her first start since a win in the $1.17 million Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park last November.

Dark Nme worked 220 yards at Remington Park on March 25 and 220 yards at Ruidoso Downs on May 1, but the March 25 work was 61 days before Sunday’s program. Dark Nme needed two works within 60 days of her intended comeback, owner Willie Garcia said.

“We messed up,” Garcia said on Wednesday.

Dark Nme worked 220 yards in 12.16 seconds at Ruidoso Downs on Tuesday and is now scheduled to have her first start of the year in the Rainbow Derby trials on June 30.

The derby trials are led by Cowboys Gun Z, the champion 2-year-old and 2-year-old gelding of 2023, and winner of the All American Futurity last September. He was seventh in the Texas Classic Futurity in his last start.

Cowboys Gun Z starts in Sunday’s second race in a tough field that includes the Los Alamitos stakes winner Asscher and Political Rivalry. The sixth trial is led by Lets Leave, winner of the 2023 Ruidoso Futurity, while the field for the eighth trial is led by San Lencho, winner of the 2023 Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park last June.

In the futurity trials, the geldings Apprehensive, who starts in Friday’s 10th race, and Lethal Cowboy, who runs in Saturday’s sixth race, will be heavily scrutinized in their first starts after impressive wins in schooling races at 300 yards at Ruidoso Downs in late April.

Ruidoso has a mixed meeting through Sept. 2. The first Thoroughbred races of the season will be held on Monday’s 10-race program, two sprints for statebreds.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.