Quintet of stakes winners battle in Zia Derby

In the last 13 months, Colby James, Donelli, First Neon Moon, Mister Riptide, and Stominado have won six-figure races for 2- and 3-year-old New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses at tracks throughout the state.

The quintet will be in the same gate for the first time in Saturday’s $183,073 Zia Derby at 400 yards at Ruidoso Downs.

The Zia Derby is one of three stakes for statebreds on Saturday’s program. There are seven stakes for New Mexico-breds on Sunday, including the $392,547 Zia Futurity for Quarter Horses.

Donelli, winner of the $386,196 New Mexico State Fair Futurity at The Downs at Albuquerque last September, will be favored in the Zia Derby on the strength of a sharp win in a time trial July 11. Donelli ran 400 yards in 19.66 seconds to set the fastest qualifying time in his first start since a second in the Shue Fly Stakes for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park in January.

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Trained by Wes Giles for owners Mac and Janis Murray, Donelli has won 5 of 8 starts and earned $257,737.

Mister Riptide, who has won 5 of 7 starts and earned $666,607, is the richest runner in the Zia Derby field. A gelding, Mister Riptide won the $434,210 Zia Futurity last July, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of Colby James, and was later second as the 3-2 favorite in the $3 million All American Futurity last September.

Mister Riptide won his 2020 debut in the Zia Derby time trials, but was timed in 19.96, considerably slower than Donelli.

Stominado, who won the $326,530 New Mexico Cup Futurity at Zia Park last October, won a division of the Zia Derby trials in 19.82, finishing a half-length in front of Colby James. In June 2019, Colby James won the $404,357 Mountain Top Futurity at Ruidoso Downs, his best performance of the year. Colby James had his 3-year-old debut in the Zia Derby and should be sharper in Saturday’s final.

First Neon Moon, who starts from the rail Saturday, was third behind Donelli in the Zia trials. First Neon Moon won the $100,000 NMHBA Stakes for 3-year-old statebreds at 400 yards at Sunland Park in February.

The lone Thoroughbred stakes on Saturday’s program is the $50,000 Sierra Starlet Handicap for 3-year-old statebred fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs. Two Stepper, who won the $100,000 La Senora Stakes at Sunland Park in January and was third in the Enchantress Stakes there in February, will be favored in a field of seven.

Two Stepper is trained by Todd Fincher, who also starts Reception, the sharp winner of an allowance race June 27 in her 2020 debut.

In the $50,000 Zia Handicap for Quarter Horses at 400 yards, No Mires a La Luna, winner of the 2019 Zia Derby, and Diamond and a Half, second by a nose in the Junos Request Stakes on May 30 at Remington Park, are the leading contenders in a field of 10.