Unbeaten champion Jess Good Candy heads trials for All American Derby

Jess Good Candy is the Usain Bolt of the Quarter Horse set. The champion always “brings it” on the big stage, and will be an overwhelming favorite to improve his career record to 8 for 8 when he runs Sunday at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Jess Good Candy is set to start in the second race, which is one of 13 trials for the Grade 1, $2.4 million All American Derby. The horses with the 10 fastest times Sunday will advance to the finale, which will be run on Sept. 4 at Ruidoso. First post for the 440-yard trials is 1 p.m. Mountain.

Jess Good Candy is the top-ranked Quarter Horse among 3-year-olds and up in the latest national poll put out by the American Quarter Horse Association. He won last year’s $3 million All American Futurity and enters Sunday’s card off a win in the $1 million Ruidoso Derby on June 11. He was a dominant, 1 3/4-length winner last out, and improved his record to 7 for 7 for earnings of more than $2 million.

“These horses are few and far between,” said Clinton Crawford, who trains Jess Good Candy.

Jess Good Candy will break from post 8 under regular rider Ivan Carnero. He races for PV Quarter Horse Farms.

Other notable runners set to compete in the All American Derby trials include Tres Friends, the winner of last year’s Rainbow Futurity and Texas Classic Futurity who starts in the third race; Valiant Rogue, the Rainbow Derby winner who is going for his fourth straight win in the sixth race; and First Valiant Sign, the winner of last year’s Ruidoso Futurity who starts in the eighth race against last year’s All American Futurity runner-up, One Fabulous Eagle.

The entrants in the 13 trials Sunday have collectively earned more than $12 million during their careers, according to Ruidoso.