Rescheduled races leaves loaded Labor Day card

The repercussions of moving the Ruidoso Downs meeting to The Downs at Albuquerque because of a damaged Ruidoso Downs racing surface has created a blockbuster program on Labor Day, Sept. 2.

The $3 million All American Futurity and $250,000 All American Gold Cup for older horses were scheduled for Sept. 2 and will be joined that afternoon by the $700,000 All American Derby and $500,000 All American Oaks for fillies, which have been postponed from Sept. 1.

The decision to delay the All American Derby and All American Oaks was made recently by Ruidoso management to allow horsemen to attend the annual yearling sale in Ruidoso on Aug. 30-31 and attend the Labor Day program in Albuquerque.

The sale facility in Ruidoso was not affected by a series of floods in June and July that prompted track management in late July to cancel racing for the remainder of the summer at the southern New Mexico venue and move racing to Albuquerque. The floods, which washed out the first turn of the Ruidoso racetrack, were caused by a flow of water, mud and debris from nearby mountainsides devastated by wildfires in June.

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Officials briefly considered moving the sale to Albuquerque, but will hold the in Ruidoso to accommodate the more than 400 yearlings that will be offered at the Quarter Horse sale.

This weekend, 440-yard time trials will be run at Albuquerque for the All American races. There are 14 time trials on Friday and Saturday for the All American Futurity. The five runners with the fastest time each day advance to the final.

On Sunday, there are four trials for the All American Oaks followed by eight trials for the All American Derby. The runners with the 10 fastest times advance to the final of those races.

On Friday, Hezgothelook Z, winner of the Ruidoso and Rainbow futurities, will be a heavy favorite to win the third trial against Fdd Dreams, who was second in the Rainbow Futurity. If Hezgothelook Z qualifies for the All American Futurity, he could be the first runner to sweep the three futurities since Special Effort in 1981.

Saturday’s 14-race card includes the New Mexico debut of Kempton, winner of the prestigious Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park on June 1. Kempton, who starts in the 10th race, was supplemented to the All American Futurity trials for $50,000.

Later on the program, Firey Eagle, second in the Heritage Place Futurity, and Brink Man V, third in the Ruidoso Futurity, will be favored in the 12th and 13th trials.

The trials for the All American Oaks include Flying Sophia, the winner of the Junos Request Stakes against older fillies and mares at Remington Park on June 1. Flying Sophia was supplemented to the All American Oaks trials for $30,000. She faces Asscher and Southern Divine, the first two finishers of the Los Alamitos Oaks in March.

The second trial includes Deep Blue, winner of the Heritage Place Oaks on June 1, and Running to the Moon, winner of the Rainbow Oaks at Albuquerque on July 28.

The 2023 2-year-old champions Cowboys Gun Z and Dark Nme are part of deep group of trials for the All American Derby.

Cowboys Gun Z, winner of the 2023 All American Futurity and that year’s overall champion 2-year-old, is winless in two starts this year. He starts in Sunday’s sixth race.

Dark Nme, the 2023 champion filly, was a troubled third in the Rainbow Derby on July 27 in her first stakes appearance of the year. She will be an overwhelming favorite to win the 10th trial, and is the only filly facing males in the All American Derby trials.

The ninth trial is led by Dashing Tres, winner of the Rainbow Derby, while the final race is led by The Marksman V, who has not raced since he won the Ruidoso Derby on June 8.

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