INFLUX OF BIG STARS EXPECTED IN COMING WEEKS
Ruidoso Downs wrapped up its 2022 racing season on Labor Day Monday with an action-packed running of the All American Futurity to complete a big holiday weekend of racing.
Winning the All American Futurity was Jeff Jones and Steve Holt’s Hes Judgeandjury (photo), a half-brother of Los Alamitos’ multiple Grade 1 winner Empressum. The son of Hes Relentless held off Valeriano Racing’s Sicario V, a graduate of the Los Alamitos Equine Sale who ran a tremendous race from the outside post to finish second. Sicario V, who went through the sale ring under the name of Hilarious, is a colt by Favorite Cartel out of the outstanding broodmare Nymph. Sicario V is a full brother to Grade 2 winner Monopolist and Restricted Grade 1 winner Frivolous.
Both Hes Judgeandjury and Sicario V are eligible to race in the trials to the Golden State Million Futurity next month. The two of them are among an outstanding contingent of runners from Ruidoso Downs that will be headed to Los Alamitos for what should a tremendous fall season of stakes racing action.
Other big names expected to arrive at Los Alamitos include Rosenthal Ranch’s Powerful Favorite and Bomb Cyclone, Dunn Ranch’s Apollitical Pence and Valeriano Racing’s A Pollitical Candy V. The latter had a tremendous campaign at Ruidoso, winning the Rainbow Derby and then the All American Derby in convincing fashion. The son of Apollitical Jess ran at Los Alamitos earlier this season, winning his trial to the Los Alamitos Winter Derby before running second in the Grade 1 final to Scoops Dynasty, who is unbeaten in five starts at Los Alamitos this season. A Pollitical Candy V is eligible to run in the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials. Bomb Cyclone, winner of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, is also Super Derby eligible and could be part of the action after running in the All American Derby final this past weekend. Empire Racing and Steve Burns’ Minecraft, who ran at Ruidoso Downs this past week, is another Super Derby trials hopeful.
In the aged horse division, Dunn Ranch’s Apollitical Pence set the 250-yard track record on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs while winning a $75,000 stakes races. Apollitical Pence could make his next start in the Grade 1 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Winter Championship on Saturday, October 8. A two-time Champion of Champions winner, Apollitical Pence has also already been invited to race in this year’s Champion of Champions. Only the legendary Refrigerator has won the Champion of Champions three-times.
On Monday at Ruidoso Downs, the $150,000 All American Gold Cup was won by Powerful Favorite, a six-year-old gelding who won for the eighteenth time in his career. Eduardo Nicasio piloted the Favorite Cartel gelding for trainer Chris O’Dell. “I believe it was his best race,” jockey Nicasio said in the winner’s circle. “As he has grown older, he tends to break a little better like he did today. That impressed me and put a smile on my face. It was an easy trip.”
Powerful Favorite won the Robert Boniface last year and figures to be among the possible starters for this year’s running.
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