Political Twist leads field in time trials for All American Futurity

Regardless of where he runs, Political Twist wins.

The 2-year-old Quarter Horse, unbeaten in four starts, won a division of the West Texas Futurity trials at 300 yards at Sunland Park on March 16 and the $365,271 final on April 5. On May 23, Political Twist won a trial for the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, and the final by a comfortable 1 1/2 lengths on June 8.

Political Twist’s fifth start will be Monday at The Downs at Albuquerque, in the first of 16 time trials at 440 yards for the $3 million All American Futurity on Sept. 1.

A start at Albuquerque this summer was not on Political Twist’s original itinerary.

On July 8, a severe flood from monsoonal rains engulfed the Ruidoso Downs racetrack, forcing the cancellation of the remainder of the meeting. A similar situation occurred in late July 2024, several weeks after a massive wildfire struck a mountain range near the track. With a barren forested area at higher elevations, the burn scar has repeatedly produced massive runoffs that have inundated a small river that runs through the infield at Ruidoso Downs.

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The community has sustained several floods in the last month, including one that led to three deaths.

Last year, the final seven weeks of the Ruidoso Downs meeting were held at the Downs at Albuquerque, ending with the All American Futurity on Labor Day.

This year, only the All American trials were moved to Albuquerque with futurity trials on Monday and Tuesday, and trials for the All American Oaks and All American Derby on Wednesday. The finals of all those races will be run on Sept. 1. There has been no racing in New Mexico since July 6. After Wednesday’s program, racing resumes in the state on Aug. 28, with the opening day of the previously scheduled summer-fall meeting at Albuquerque.

Political Twist will be racing against the clock as much as nine rivals in Monday’s first race. The five fastest qualifiers from Monday’s trials earn berths to the final, along with the runners with the five best times from Tuesday’s trials.

Monday’s first race is arguably the deepest of the 32 futurity time trials. Political Twist, trained by Xavier Rodriguez, is part of a field that includes Mr High Five and Rock Star Martini, who qualified for the $1 million Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs by winning time trials on June 27-28. The Rainbow Futurity, scheduled for July 13, was cancelled because of the damage to Ruidoso Downs, as were the Rainbow Derby and Rainbow Oaks on July 12.

There are 304 entries for the 32 All American Futurity trials. Political Twist is the most accomplished.

Monday’s third race is led by Russ Gus, who was second in the Ruidoso Futurity for Rodriguez and qualified for the Rainbow Futurity. Russ Gus is part of a field that includes Cowboy 1, the winner of the $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile, the consolation race of the Ruidoso Futurity.

Later on Monday’s program, Wr Desperado, the fastest qualifier for the Rainbow Futurity, starts in the seventh race. Wr Desperado, trained by Mike Joiner, is out of Whistle Stop Café, the winner of the 2020 Rainbow and All American futurities.

The field for the 16th trial includes Effortless Favorite, the winner of the $1.16 million Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park on May 31. Effortless Favorite finished second in a division of the Rainbow Futurity trials on June 27. To be eligible for the All American Futurity, Effortless Favorite was supplemented for $50,000 last week by owners Richard Tobin and Bill and Tom Maher.

There are three supplemental entries for the All American Futurity trials.

Effortless Favorite is trained by Jason Olmstead, who has another supplemental entrant in Tuesday’s fourth race in Famous N Relentless, who is co-owned by Tom Maher and Olmstead’s wife, Amber.

Famous N Relentless was scratched at the gate of the Ruidoso Futurity after appearing to be kicked by a horse in an adjacent stall that became upset.

The supplemental entry JC Speeding starts in Tuesday’s 14th race. Trained by Dee Keener, JC Speeding is unbeaten in four starts, the latest of which was the $238,200 Speedhorse Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity at 350 yards at Remington Park on May 31.

Wednesday’s 10-race program consists of four trials for the All American Oaks for fillies and six trials for the All American Derby, all at 440 yards. The 10 fastest runners in those trials advance to the finals.

The 39 fillies in the All American Oaks trials reflect the division’s weakness this year. Rainbow of Diamonds, second in the $300,900 Heritage Place Oaks at Remington Park on May 31, will be a short-priced favorite in the fourth race.

The All American Derby trials are led by Fdd Dreams and Eagle Aye, who were first and third in the $793,066 Ruidoso Derby on June 7; Lethal Cowboy 123, the winner of the $1.8 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last December; Kj Bad Moon Rising, who was second in the 2024 All American Futurity; and House of Lords, who won the $244,000 Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park on May 31.

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