Painted Eclipse, under jockey Luis Martinez, setting the fastest time for the 64th running of the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino Sunday.

© Coady Photography

SUNLAND PARK, NM—MARCH 17, 2024—Painted Eclipse broke his maiden in his career debut while posting the fastest qualifying time to the 64th running of the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino.

The 10 fastest qualifiers, from 12 trial races contested, will return to the Sunland Park oval on Saturday, April 6, to vie for the winner's share of a $311,400 purse at a distance of 300 yards.

Painted Escape under jockey Luis Martinez posted a :15.150 clocking, a 98 speed index into a 5 mph headwind, to get the fastest time of the day.  Trainer Xaiver Rodriguez conditions the Pyc Paint Your Wagon colt for owners Shaun Hubbard, La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and Ray Willis.

The partners paid $32,000 for Painted Escape at the 2023 Heritage Place September Yearling Sale.

Donald Friesen bred the bay colt in Oklahoma from the One Famous Eagle mare Safari Moonlight. This is the family of Rainbow Derby(G1) winner Eagle Coast and champion Sig Hanson.

Fdd Dreams, a homebred for La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC, posted the second fastest clocking of :15.258 seconds, a 94 speed index into a 10 mph headwind, in trial 9.  Jockey Luis Martinez had the riding call for trainer Xavier Rodriguez.

The son of four-time world champion sire FDD Dynasty is out of the Apollitical Jess mare Treasured Dreams, a sister to stakes winner and Ed Burk Million Futurity(G1) runner-up Dreams Divine and stakes winner Splendid Cause. The second dam is Grade 3 winner and eight-time black type producer Answer The Dream, by Tres Seis.

Rodriguez also saddled seventh fastest qualifier Shes Fancy, a $165,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate by Apollitical Jess, for La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC.  

Eric Valenzuela and Wesley Giles tied Rodriguez with three qualifiers each.

Apollitical Jess and Jess Good Candy each sired two qualifiers. First-crop sire Kj Mucho Macho Man got his second stakes finalist after siring a qualifier to the New Mexican Spring Futurity(RG2) on Saturday.

For the complete list of West Texas Futurity(RG2) finalists with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

Two-year-old's that started in the trials of the West Texas Futurity and failed to qualify for the final, fastest times from the trials preferred, will run back in the $50,000 West Texas Juvenile on April 6. CLICK HERE for that list of horses.

Sunland Park will resume live racing on Thursday (Mar 21) with a nine-race card. First-post is 12:25 (MDT).