Preview Racing


Mad About the Moon Headlines Sunday's Southwest Juvenile Championship
New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG1) and All American Futurity(G1) runner-up Mad About The Moon will face a filed in the Sunday's $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park.

© Coady Photography
Mad About the Moon Headlines Sunday's Southwest Juvenile Championship

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

HOBBS, NM—NOVEMBER 25, 2014—David G. Valdez’s Mad About The Moon is one of 11 2-year-olds entered in Sunday’s 440-yard, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) at Zia Park.

A $5,000 buy at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale at Ruidoso Downs, Mad About The Moon has earned $540,919 for Valdez, a resident of Odessa, Texas. The gelded son of First Moonflash faces open company after his half-length victory in the 400-yard, $290,000 New Mexico Cup Futurity (RG1) for state-breds.

Mad About The Moon’s race record includes a second-place finish to JM Miracle in the 440-yard, $2.6-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso. Trained by Gene Burden, the gelding will be ridden by Sergio Becerra from post 8 on Sunday.

Separate Dynasty, a sorrel daughter of champion FDD Dynasty racing for Billy G. Smith and Paul Blanchard of Albuquerque, will be making her first start since October 11, when she ran third, a half of a length behind winner Rattle N Battle, in the 400-yard, $385,000 Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park. G.R. Carter Jr. will ride the filly from post 7 for trainer Justin Joiner.

Other contenders include Pedro Carrillo’s Montauk, a filly by Dashair trained by Tony Gallegos. The runner-up to Mad About The Moon in the New Mexico Cup Futurity, Montauk has won four of five starts since she was claimed by her current connections for $6,500 at Ruidoso Downs in June, including the September 20, 400-yard New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (R) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds--

  1. Gold Digging Ashley (James A. Flores), 8-1
  2. You N Me (Joe Badilla Jr.), 6-1
  3. Furiousprincess (Salvador Martinez), 12-1
  4. Montauk (Alejandro Medellin), 5-1
  5. Nash Wagon Special (Raul Gutierrez), 10-1
  6. Play Harder (Ivan Carnero), 8-1
  7. Separate Dynasty (G.R. Carter Jr.), 4-1
  8. Mad About The Moon (Sergio Becerra Jr.), 3-1
  9. Justmakeitjolie (Jesse Levario), 15-1
  10. V P Cornbread (Jose Montoya), 20-1
  11. El Rayito de Luna (Adrian Ramos), 10-1.

The Southwest Juvenile Championship, and all Zia Park races, can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.