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Ruidoso Downs Meet Opens With 32 Ruidoso Futurity Trials
Remington Park Futurity(RG1) winner Dark NME will head the first of two days of trials for the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity(RG1) on Friday at Ruidoso Downs.

© Dustin Orona Photography
Ruidoso Downs Meet Opens With 32 Ruidoso Futurity Trials

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–MAY 21, 2023–A total of 313 juveniles, many of whom will be making their official career debuts, are entered in this week's 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity (G1) trials at Ruidoso Downs.

Thirty-two heats will be run -- 16 on Friday and 16 on Saturday. First post time each day is set for 12 p.m. (MDT), with the last trial each day scheduled to go off at 6 p.m.

Friday's trials are headed by a pair of stakes winners during the Remington Park spring meet, Dark NME and Dezigner Jeanz. A daughter of champion Hes Relentless and a $65,000 purchase at last year's Heritage Place Yearling Sale, Dark NME races for TYKHE Racing LLC from the barn of trainer Santos Carrizales Jr.

The bay filly has won both of her starts and has earned $337,062, and she will be stretching out in distance off of her wire-to-wire, 2 1/2-length victory in the 330-yard, $804,000 Remington Park Futurity (RG1) for Oklahoma-breds on April 22.

Dark NME drew post 9 and will be ridden by Francisco Calderon in Friday's 16th heat.

Dezigner Jeanz also won both of her outs at Remington Park, including the 330-yard, $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile Stakes (R) for Oklahoma-breds on April 22.

A $55,000 buy at last year's Heritage Place Yearling Sale, the sorrel daughter of champion Mr Jess Perry is trained by John Stinebaugh for owner Pete Scarmardo.

Dezigner Jeanz drew post 3 and will be ridden by Sergio Dominguez in Friday's 14th trial.

KJ Little Duce Coup headlines Saturday's trials. An undefeated son of world champion Apollitical Jess trained by Wes Giles for owners John and Kathy Lee and Ruben Mares, the homebred gelding will be making his first start since April 1, when he scored a neck victory in the 300-yard, $283,000 West Texas Futurity (G2) at Sunland Park.

KJ Little Duce Coup drew post 6 and will be ridden by Adrian Ramos in Saturday's second heat.

CHR Racing's Irish Seis was also a stakes winner during the Sunland Park meet, as the son of champion Tres Seis sprinted to a neck victory in the April 1, 300-yard West Texas Juvenile Stakes.

A $40,000 purchase at last year's Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, the bay gelding is trained by Jesus Rondan Jr.

Irish Seis drew post 5 and will be ridden by Luis Martinez in Saturday's eighth trial.

The five fastest qualifiers from each day of trials will meet in the June 11, $1-million Ruidoso Futurity final.

All Ruidoso Downs races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.