'Pivotal' dashes for cash

Pivotal Decision, the winner of last year's Grade 1 Dash for Cash Futurity, will put his six-race winning streak on the line Friday night in the Grade 1 $179,800 Dash for Cash Derby for Quarter Horses at Lone Star Park.

Pivotal Decision, owned by 24-year-old Joshua Harner and trained by John Buchanan, is ranked fourth in the national Quarter Horse poll conducted by the American Quarter Horse Association. He is the second-ranked 3-year-old, only one point behind All American Derby winner Stoli.

Pivotal Decision affirmed his ranking with a three-quarters of a length victory in his Dash for Cash Futurity time trial. His time of 21.422 seconds for the 440 yards was the quickest mark from three Sept. 28 trials.

Six of the 10 finalists came out of Pivotal Decision's trial, including runner-up Rare Fasteroid.

Rare Fasteroid, from the Dwayne "Sleepy" Gilbreath barn, won the Grade 2 Ruidoso Derby in June as a 23-1 outsider.

Buchanan and jockey Juan Vasquez, the rider of Pivotal Decision, also are well stocked in the Grade 1 $458,500 Dash for Cash Futurity on Saturday with fastest qualifier Run and Pray.

Run and Pray set the quickest qualifying time from 112 horses in the trials when he raced 400 yards in 19.742 seconds. He won by an overwhelming 2 3/4 lengths.

Run and Pray showed his potential when he was second to Shining Sky, the top ranked 2-year-old, in the Grade 1 Retama Park Futurity in June.

Buchanan will also saddle First Thoughts, second in the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity and third in the Grade 1 West Texas Futurity.

Rdustys Chick is the most celebrated of the Dash for Cash Futurity finalists. She is the seventh-ranked juvenile on the strength of a win in the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity and a ninth in the Grade 1 All American Futurity. Rdustys Chick won her Dash for Cash Futurity trial by 1 1/4 lengths.

'Cartel' back at Blue Ribbon

Libbys Cartel, winner of the Grade 1 $150,056 Blue Ribbon Futurity in March for owner Charles Rader, is after another stakes win at Blue Ribbon Downs in the Grade 3 $33,768 Shebester Futurity on Sunday.

Libbys Cartel won her Shebester Futurity trial by a half-length with the fourth-fastest time of 17.977 seconds for 350 yards.

Ichin to Flare, runner-up in the Grade 3 Black Gold 330 Futurity, topped the qualifiers in 17.868 seconds for 350 yards.