Zia Park: Southwest Juvenile Championship draws deep field

Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., drew a compact but accomplished cast of Quarter Horses for its final stakes of the meet, the Grade 1, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship. The field of seven includes three graduates of this year’s All American Futurity, as well as the winner of the Grade 1, $1 million Heritage Place Futurity.

Skuze Pleeze fared best of the three in the All American, a $2.6 million race run in September at Ruidoso Downs. He was fifth, beaten a half-length, in the race won by Handsome Jack Flash. Following the start, Skuze Pleeze set the fastest qualifying time for the Grade 1, $1 million Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park. He would go on to finish third in the finale, which came in his most recent start Nov. 9.

G.R. Carter Jr. has the mount for Joe L. Mills andtrainer Tana Pace.

Y N How Many More, who won a draw to land the final spot in the gate for the All American, ran sixth in the race. He was beaten a length by stablemate Handsome Jack Flash. He missed by a nose in the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity on June 9. In more recent starts, he won the Grade 2 Hobbs America Futurity at Zia in October. Jaime Leos has the mount for K H Logax Inc. and trainer Juan Gonzalez.

Houdini was 10th in the All American after winning his trial for the race by 1 1/2 lengths. He went on to win a trial for the Texas Classic Futurity and finished second in the finale in his last start Nov. 9. Cody Jensen has the mount on Houdini for Ellen Kennedy Living Trust and trainer Luis Villafranco.

Big Biz Perry is the most accomplished member of the Southwest Juvenile field by virtue of her head win in the Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park in June. She last raced in the Texas Classic Futurity, and after trouble at the start finished an uncharacteristic eighth. She is looking to rebound for trainer Trey Wood. Roy Baldillez has the mount for Jose Espinosa.