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West Texas Futurity Trials Set for Friday
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino will host 12 trials for the 300-yard West Texas Futurity (G2) trials will be contested at Sunland Park on Friday.

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West Texas Futurity Trials Set for Friday

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

SUNLAND PARK, NM—APRIL 8, 2017—A dozen 300-yard West Texas Futurity (G2) trials will be contested at Sunland Park on Friday.

Post time for the first trial is set for 12:50 p.m. (MDT). The last heat is scheduled to go off at 5:30.

Only eight of the 116 2-year-olds entered in the West Texas Futurity have had a previous start. Lv Golden Knight, a son of champion Tempting Dash trained by Manuel Rodriguez for owner La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC, made his debut with a dead heat, half-length victory in a 300-yard, $21,000 maiden-special-weight dash at Sunland Park on March 15.

Lv Golden Knight was bred in Texas by Simmons Ranch, and the gelding is out of Eyema Special Candy, a winning daughter of 2003 world champion Oak Tree Special who ran second in the ’11 Valley Junction Futurity (G3) at Prairie Meadows. He drew post 2 and will be ridden by Jose Amador Alvarez in the 10th trial.

The West Texas Futurity is one of the oldest stakes in American Quarter Horse racing.It was first run in 1959, and its past winners include champions Stoli (2000) and Leading Spirit (’05). The 10 fastest qualifiers from Friday’s trials will meet in the $275,000-est. final on May 5, closing day of the 2018-19 Sunland Park meet.

All Sunland Park races can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.