Strawfly Romance in tough spot

Fastest qualifier Strawfly Romance will have a tough test against Sunland Fall Futurity winner Cowboys N Injuns in the Grade 3, $42,840 Bayer Legend New Mexico Derby at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday afternoon.

Strawfly Romance topped the qualifiers from three trials on June 2 with a neck win over second-fastest qualifier Go Fly West, who was making his second start. Strawfly Romance raced the 400 yards in 19.662 seconds.

Strawfly Romance has a fourth in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity and a fifth in the Sunland Fall Futurity.

Cowboys N Injuns, with four wins and a pair of seconds from six starts, won the Sunland Fall Futurity in a very fast 19.23 seconds for 400 yards and was never threatened by Strawfly Romance.

Cowboys N Injuns then was a close second in the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity as the 6-5 favorite, and won his Bayer Legend trial in the fourth-fastest time of 19.768 seconds.

Also on Sunday at Ruidoso, the promising Dash Ta Moon makes her second career start in the $214,896 Ruidoso Horse Sale Futurity for horses offered in the Ruidoso New Mexico-bred sale last summer.

Dash Ta Moon won her trial by 1 1/2 lengths in 17.763 seconds for 350 yards.