Undefeated Revenant Moon looks for another big payday in Ruidoso Futurity
A winning margin of 4 3/4 lengths in a 350-yard Quarter Horse race is almost unheard of. That’s hardly enough distance to scoot so far away.
Revenant Moon was the easy winner of a division of the Ruidoso Futurity trials by that margin on May 27, finishing in a quick 17.46 seconds to earn a berth in Sunday’s $1 million final. The win enhanced the undefeated filly’s reputation after a victory in the $477,200 Oklahoma Futurity on March 20 at Remington Park.
Since the trial win, Revenant Moon has thrived for trainer Trey Wood.
“She’s never missed a beat,” Wood said. “It sounds crazy, but it seems this is the best she’s done. She’s 100 percent.”
Revenant Moon, bought as a yearling for $20,000 and owned by the partnership of Trey Odom, Scott Bryant, and Normal Allen, drew the outside post of 10 in the Ruidoso Futurity. Wood said he would have preferred a post in middle of the field.
“I like for her to be between horses,” he said.
In the Ruidoso trials, Revenant Moon broke from post 5 in a field of 10 and was clear strides away from the start in her first race since the 300-yard Oklahoma Futurity. The 10-week gap between the Oklahoma Futurity and Ruidoso trial was one of few concerns for Wood.
“I was a little worried about her being fit enough,” he said. “She had not run since March. I hadn’t trained on her lot.”
Wood was able to do more with Revenant Moon beginning in early April when a foot abscess was cured, he said.
The Ruidoso Futurity field includes eight trial-race winners. The five runners with the fastest times in trials on May 28-29 earned spots in the final. Revenant Moon had the fastest qualifying time from the May 29 trials.
The same day, the Wood-trained Tactical Fire won his debut in 17.59 seconds, earning the final qualifying berth from that day.
“He switched leads three or four times and didn’t know what he was doing,” he said. “The horse is going to run a good race. The sky is the limit. If he improves like I think he will, he will be right there.”
In the May 28 trials, Jess Fire Me, a Utah-bred colt by Walk Thru Fire, led the day with a trial win in 17.42. Jess Savin Candy and Lethal Jet, who were second and third in that trial, earned berths in the final.
Jess Fire Me is trained by Albert Valles, who has had an excellent start to the Ruidoso Downs meeting, winning with nine of his first 33 runners.
Mr Apollo Jess, fifth in the $926,500 Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity at 350 yards on April 17, won a trial by 2 1/4 lengths in 17.59 seconds on May 28 in his first start for trainer Toby Keeton.