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Three of Nation’s Top-Four Two-Year-Olds Highlight Opening of Ruidoso Downs Season
Remington Park OK-Bred Futurity(RG2) winner Lynnder 16, the #1 2-year-old in the AQHA National Racing Poll, will start in the eighth trial on Friday.

© Dustin Orona Photography
Three of Nation’s Top-Four Two-Year-Olds Highlight Opening of Ruidoso Downs Season

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—MAY 20, 2018—The best quarter horse racing begins at the start of the summer Ruidoso Downs season on Friday and Saturday with three of the nation’s top-four ranked two-year-olds competing in the 350-yard trials to the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity at Ruidoso Downs.

There will be 16 trials on Friday and another 16 trials on Saturday with a noon first post time each day. The horses with the top-five times on each day advance to the Ruidoso Futurity on June 10. The horses with the next five-fastest times have preference to compete in the $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile on the same day. There are 302 aspirants entered in the trials.

The two-year-olds leading the futurity trials, each a $30,000 supplemental nominee to enter the trials, are top-ranked Lynnder 16, third-ranked Suze Returns and fourth-ranked Zee James.

Tom Maher and Dick Tobin’s Lynnder 16, already an earner of $354,746, comes to Ruidoso Downs after impressing in two starts at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. The Apollitical Jess-sired filly won her maiden in her first start when she took her trial to the $864,500 Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity by two lengths. She then showed her grit in the Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity when she fought to a head win.

"My partner, Dick Tobin, and I bought her as a young yearling at Heritage Place for $31,000," Maher said. "We were at the sale and Dick owned her full sister and wanted me to partner with him. I thought she would bring more money."

Trainer Jason Olmstead will have Christian Esqueda, who has been up for each of her starts, on board. They drew the third post position in the eighth trial on Friday afternoon.

Joe Rios’ Suze Returns has a similar record as Lynnder 16, only she raced at Sunland Park. The Juan Gonzalez-trained miss won her West Texas Futurity trial by two-and-one-quarter lengths and then found a tussle in the $269,528 finals when the daughter leading third-crop sire High Rate Of Return prevailed by a neck as the 5-2 favorite.

Suze Returns starts from the fourth post position in the eighth trial on Saturday afternoon. Jaime Parga Leos is the jockey.

Robert Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey’s Jesse James Jr filly Zee James is stepping up to open competition after handling New Mexico-bred rivals at Sunland Park. She won her trial to the $396,412 New Mexican Spring Futurity by three-and-three-quarter lengths and then held off her rivals in the futurity to win by a neck.

Regular rider Adrian A. Ramos will ride Zee James from the fourth post position in Friday’s 10th trial. Homer Hill’s homebred Jess Let It B, the sixth-ranked two-year-old, is still a maiden, however was just a head behind Lynnder 16 in the Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity. The daughter of Valiant Hero was third in her Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity trial.

Trainer Eddie Willis has named Jimmy Dean Brooks to ride Jess Let It B. They are in the 10th trial on Saturday with the fourth post position.

There are more than futurity trials on opening weekend.

On Sunday, it’s time for the star three-year-olds to race in the trials for the Grade 1, $750,000 (est.) Ruidoso Derby.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, in Billy the Kid Casino, 10 finalists will be drawn each night to win a $25,000 Jeep Compass on Sunday evening and the first 500 fans attending the races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive a free Ruidoso Downs t-shirt.

To top off the weekend, the legendary Red Steagall performs Sunday evening in the horse sale arena at 7 p.m. Telephone for tickets or reservations at 575-378-4140. He will also perform a salute to the flag on Monday, Memorial Day.

For additional Ruidoso Downs information, go to the new raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow Ruidoso Downs on Twitter @RuiPressBox.

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