ALBUQUERQUE, NM—JULY 26, 2018—On Sunday, a field of 10 Quarter Horses, including two also-eligible entries, has been entered in the 870-yard, $40,000-added AQHA Albuquerque Distance Challenge Stakes (G3).

Zoomin Racer, a 5-year-old gelding owned and trained by Jesus Carrete of Albuquerque, set the fastest qualifying time (:44.23) with his two-length victory as the 4-5 favorite in the first of two trials on July 13. Zoomin Racer has won seven of 19 starts, including last year’s 870-yard, $105,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows near Des Moines, Iowa, and he has earned $136,582, of which $124,175 has come from 10 races at the 870 distance.

Zoomin Racer drew post 4 and will be ridden by Jansen Melancon. His opponents include defending champion Rock A Billy, a homebred 5-year-old gelding who scored a 1 1/4-length victory in this race last year for owner Rockin J Running Horses and trainer Tammy Johnson. Rock A Billy drew post 7 and will be ridden by Martin Felix.

The winner of the Albuquerque Distance Challenge will earn a berth in the November 17, $105,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos Racecourse near Los Angeles. The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Jess A Hilbily Bone (Alejandro Medellin), 8-1
2. Mahoney N Tacklebery (Isaias Enriquez), 7-2
3. El Chirrionero (Victor Escobar), 4-1
4. Zoomin Racer (Jansen Melancon), 5-2
5. Let There Be Sound (Benito Baca), 6-1
6. Fire Thorn (Edgar Martinez), 8-1
7. Rock A Billy (Martin Felix), 15-1
8. Madewell (Enrique Garcia), 12-1

AE-Alma The Younger (Alfredo Sigala), 20-1, AE-Rare Ed (Justine Klaiber), 20-1

A field of 10 Thoroughbreds, topped by morning-line favorite De Facto, has been entered in Saturday’s 1-mile, $20,000 Downs at Albuquerque Claiming Stakes.

The Downs at Albuquerque Claiming Stakes is the first leg of the track’s new Marathon Series. It will be followed by the 1 1/16-mile, $20,000 Billy Powell Claiming Stakes on August 18, and it will conclude with New Mexico’s longest horse race, the 1 13/16-mile, $25,000 Con Jackson Claiming Stakes on closing day of the meet, September 23.

De Facto was claimed on April 15 for $6,250 by his current owners, Patrick D. Aguilar, Steve Wilson, and trainer Henry Dominguez. A Kentucky-bred 7-year-old son of Dynaformer, the gelding won two $6,250 claiming routes at the 1-mile distance during the 2017-18 Sunland Park meet.

De Facto drew post 5 and will be ridden by Alfredo Juarez Jr. All entries in the Downs at Albuquerque Claiming Stakes are eligible to be claimed for $6,250. The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey and weight assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Where’s The Moon (Enrique Gomez, 120), 7-2
2. Corona Beach (Isaias Enriquez, 120), 12-1
3. Wally’s Got Class (Jorge Carreno, 120), 15-1
4. Moosewood (Jansen Melancon, 120), 4-1
5. De Facto (Alfredo Juarez Jr., 120), 3-1
6. Hunterwood Point (Duane Sterling, 118), 15-1
7. Lewdawg N Paradise (Miguel A. Perez, 120), 12-1
8. Dreamcatcher (Elvin Gonzalez, 118), 8-1
9. Tizpat (Andrew Ramgeet, 118), 20-1
10. Silver Candy (Enrique Gomez, 120), 5-1

NOTES FROM THE DOWNS: The Downs will offer full-card simulcasting on Sunday’s 14-race card from Monmouth Park, which includes the 1 1/8-mile, $1-million Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), one of the nation’s premier races for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds. Monmouth’s Sunday program will begin at 10 a.m. (MDT), and advance wagering on the Haskell card will also be available on Saturday, July 28….Through July 22, Alfredo Juarez Jr. and Elvin Gonzalez are tied atop the track’s Thoroughbred jockey standings with 14 wins each. Justin Evans leads all Thoroughbred trainers with eight wins from 31 starters. Daniel Amaya tops all Quarter Horse jockeys at The Downs with seven wins from 31 mounts, while Wes Giles and Jesus Carrete are deadlocked atop the Quarter Horse trainer standings with five wins each….Business remains brisk at The Downs, as total handle on live races through the first 15 days of the track’s 55-day season stands at $3,830,369, an increase of 20 percent over the $3,189,817 wagered during the same period in 2017.

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The Downs at Albuquerque Racetrack and Casino is located in the heart of Albuquerque at Expo New Mexico, the home of the New Mexico State Fair, and general admission and parking are always free (via the casino entrance at Louisiana and Central) . For more information, visit abqdowns.com and click on the "Racing" link at the top of the homepage.