Six members of Vessels family enter Hall of Fame

The Vessels family, founders of Los Alamitos Race Course, are among the newest inductees to the Racehorse Hall of Fame at Ruidoso Downs.

The Vessels family - Frank Sr. and his wife, Grace; Frank Jr. and his wife, Millie; and former American Quarter Horse Association president Frank "Scoop" III and his wife, Bonnie - also developed Vessels Stallion Farm, the home of all-time leading sire First Downs Dash.

Also to be inducted are track and horse owners R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard, owner-breeder Ott Adams, trainers Newt Keck and Don Farris, jockeys Charley Smith and Robert Adair, the Thoroughbred horse Three Bars, and Quarter Horses Chicado V, Sgt Pepper Feature, and My Easy Credit.

The induction ceremonies will be held this summer during Ruidoso's 60th anniversary season.

The Hubbards own and operate Ruidoso Downs and Zia Park. Their numerous stakes winners include champions Denim N Diamonds and Prankster CF.

Adams was the premier breeder of the early 20th century, Keck trained three of the first five All American Futurity winners, Farris trained seven champions, Smith rode world champions Goetta and Jet Deck, and Adair won 114 stakes at Los Alamitos.

Three Bars is the most important Thoroughbred sire in Quarter Horse breeding. Chicado V was a champion and blue-hen producer, Sgt Pepper Feature was a world champion who retired to the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions, and My Easy Credit was the first horse to win the three major derbies at Ruidoso Downs.

Brooks after three-peat

Trainer Jack Brooks, winner of eight All American futurities, has an excellent opportunity to win his third straight Remington Park Futurity with three qualifiers to the Grade 1, $568,000 stakes on Sunday night.

Brooks won six of the 12 trials on April 16 with three of his trial winners qualifying for the finals. The six winners equaled the Remington Park record for wins on a program.

The three Brooks qualifiers are fastest qualifier First Prize Robin, Voghts Gold, and Jess Strawflyin.

First Prize Robin, second in her career debut, stepped forward with a one-length trial win in 17.526 seconds for the 350 yards.

Voghts Gold has 1 1/4-length wins in each of his two starts and was the odds-on favorite in each start. His 17.704-second trial win was the third-fastest qualifying time.

Jess Strawflyin was second in his first start and came back to rally for a head win in his trial with the eighth-fastest time of 17.836.

Dead-heat winners rematched

Co-fastest qualifiers Passion Rush and Streakin Graffiti, who finished in a dead heat in their trial, have a rematch for a $228,000 purse in the Grade 1 Remington Park Derby on Sunday.

They were each timed in 20.084 seconds for 400 yards in their trial while facing an estimated 20-mph headwind.

Passion Rush was the 4-5 favorite in the trial on the strength of a win in the Grade 2 Oklahoma Challenge Championship and a second in the Grade 1 Juvenile Challenge Championship.

Streakin Graffiti's previous victory was in his career debut on Aug. 2, six starts ago.

Statebreds at Delta

Fastest qualifiers Lights Out Lidge and Achieve a Link head a pair of futurities for Louisiana-bred 2-year-olds at Delta Downs on Sunday night.

Lights Out Lidge is the fastest qualifier to the Grade 3, $190,900 Laddie Futurity, having won the second of eight trials in 16.892 seconds for 330 yards.

Achieve a Link, third in the Grade 2 Mardi Gras Futurity, is the fastest qualifier to the Grade 3, $213,100 Lassie Futurity, having won her maiden in the trials with a time of 17.116 for 330 yards.