RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—MAY 22, 2015—Defending 13-time national champion trainer Paul Jones got his Ruidoso Downs’ season off to an excellent start by saddling two of the five qualifiers from 16 trials to the Grade 1, $750,000 Ruidoso Futurity on opening day Friday.

The Jones qualifiers were top-qualifier Fine Oak Corona and fourth-fastest qualifier Jm One Hot Boy.

Ruidoso Downs also got off to an excellent start. The total handle was $784,602 for an average $49,037 per trial. A year ago, the average per trial was $36,769. That is an increase of 33 percent per trial.

The total handle was up 78 percent over last year when there were 12 trials.

The trials continue on Saturday with an additional 16 trials. The horses with the five-fastest times on Saturday join Friday’s top-five qualifiers in the 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity on Sunday, June 7.

The Ruidoso Futurity is the first leg of the All American Triple Crown. Completing the Triple Crown is the Grade 1, $1 million Rainbow Futurity and the Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity. In any horse wins all three races then the horse’s connections take a $4 million bonus.

The All American Futurity offers the largest purse of any two-year-old race in the world and any quarter horse race.

Heading the Jones’ qualifiers is Fine Oak Corona.

Jose Sanchez’s Fine Oak Corona sped to a-one-and-one-quarter length win in the ninth trial with a :17.648 time while facing an 11 mile-per-hour headwind. L. Salvador Martinez was up.

The son of Coronas Prospect won his West Texas Futurity trial in his career debut and qualified for the futurity with the ninth-fastest time. He then stepped up with a fourth-place run in Grade 2, $199,450 West Texas Futurity.

“We got him and he was paid up in the West Texas and that’s the reason we ran him,” said Jones’ assistant Lisa Saumell. “He has just gained weight and come into himself.”

Victor Sanchez bred the bay colt in Oklahoma from the Oak Tree Special mare Like A Fine Oak.

J & M Racing and Farm’s Walk Thru Fire colt Jm One Hot Boy made his debut in the trials and posted neck win while racing from the inside post under Ramon Sanchez. He was timed in :17.746. Ramon Sanchez had the riding call aboard the California-bred out of Corona Rouge, by Corona Cartel. Edward C. Allred is the breeder.

“It feels really good,” said Jones. “There was a lot of tension and there were a lot of trials.”

One Famous Eagle, a $75,000 Ruidoso repurchased posted the second fastest time of :17.687 seconds following a one-length victory in the fourth trial for owner Darling Farms and trainer Kasey Willis. Christine Hudson bred the One Famous Eagle colt in Texas from the Strawfly Special mare Ladys Heart Of Gold. The Ruidoso trials were his first career start.

Brian Muse saddled Giving It All to the third fastest time of :17.688 seconds for owner Raymond Merrill. G.R. Carter, Jr. rode the Walk Thru Fire colt out of the multiple stakes producing Corona Cartel mare Sizzling. Bred by Jaime Gomez, Giving It All sold in the September Heritage Place Yearling Sale for $25,000.

First Valiant Sign finished a neck off the aforementioned Jm One Hot Boy in the 11th trial to garner the final starting spot on day 1 of :17.786 seconds. Also ridden by G.R. Carter, Jr., the Valiant Hero colt is a $100,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate racing for Scott Bryant, Joe Dee Brooks, Lee Lewis and Derrol Hubbard. Michael Joiner conditions the first-time starter out of First Painted Sign, by Pyc Paint Your Wagon. The Mixer Ranch is the breeder.

For the list of day 1 finalists to the Ruidoso Futurity, including times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

The $50,000 Ruidoso QH Juvenile Invitational for preferred invites by time from trial participants who fail to qualify for the Grade 1 final will also be held Sunday, June 7. For a list of the second five fastest qualifiers from day 1 trials CLICK HERE.

For complete Ruidoso Downs’ information, go to www.raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow the Ruidoso Press Box (@RuiPressBox) on Twitter.