Challenge


Feature Moonflash, Tac It To The Moon Nose Apart With Top John Deere Juvie Times
Feature Moonflash (#7) and Tac It To The Moon (#4) battle it out for the top qualifying mark in Friday's John Deere Juvenile trials at Ruidoso Downs.

© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Feature Moonflash, Tac It To The Moon Nose Apart With Top John Deere Juvie Times

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 15, 2016—James Sill’s Feature Moonflash and El Cabresto Racing Stables’ Tac It To The Moon finished a nose part in the second of five trials to the John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge and ended up with the top-two qualifying marks.

The two-year-olds with the 10-fastest times in the 350-yard trials are eligible to the $59,400 John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile Challenge on July 30. The winner of the finals gains eligibility to the $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship on October 29 at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Groupie James, who recorded the fourth-fastest qualifying time, broke on top in the second trial. Tac It To The Moon started cleanly under Ivan Carnero on the inside of Groupie James and Feature Moonflash broke in and brushed with Groupie James.

Tac It To The Moon ran down Groupie James and then the Cesar Gomez-ridden Feature Moonflash got up at the wire to win by a nose over Tac It Like The Moon. It was one-half length back to Groupie James.

Feature Moonflash was timed in :17.691 for the 350 yards while Tac It To The Moon raced to a :17.699 mark. Groupie James was clocked in :17.786. The Eddie Willis-trained Feature Moonflash made a successful Ruidoso Downs debut after three starts at Remington Park. The First Moonflash-sired gelding won his maiden in his debut while qualifying for the $440,000 Oklahoma Futurity. He was sixth in the Oklahoma Futurity and then had a horrid trip in a non-winners-of-two allowance race and was pulled up.

Tac It To The Moon won his trial to the Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity in his first out, however did not qualify for the futurity. The Brian Muse-trained Tac It Like a Man gelding then had a slow start and was never a factor in Remington Park allowance race.

Groupie James is gelded son of Ivory James racing for owner Carlos Truillo, Jr. and trainer Salvador Soto.

For the complete list of John Deere Ruidoso Juvenile finalists, their times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

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