Preview Racing


Ultimate Stakes Weekend at Ruidoso Starts With $200,000 All American Gold Cup Saturday
Too Flash For You will head the Grade 1 $200,000 All American Gold Up on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Ultimate Stakes Weekend at Ruidoso Starts With $200,000 All American Gold Cup Saturday

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—SEPTEMBER 4, 2015—Quarter horse racing’s ultimate stakes weekend, with important Grade 1 stakes each day, starts on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs with Too Flash For You guaranteed to become a millionaire in the Grade 1, $200,000 All American Gold Cup at 440 yards for older horses.

First post time is noon with the All American Gold Cup running as the ninth race.

The Grade 1, $2.3 million All American Derby, with champion Kiss My Hocks, heads the Sunday program.

The Grade 1, $3 million All American Futurity, offering the largest purse in the world for two-year-olds, culminates the summer racing season on Labor Day with First Valiant Sign the likely favorite.

Owned by Jim and Michelle Laird with Jose Espinosa, Too Flash For You comes into the All American Gold Cup with $999,550 in earnings and last-place in the All American Gold Cup pays $5,000.

Too Flash For You banked his largest paycheck when he won last year’s Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Derby and earned $806,772.

A New Mexico-bred son of First Moonflash, Too Flash For You won five of seven starts last year. He is in prime form for trainer Wes Giles with a win in his only appearance this year, the $50,000 Zia Handicap for New Mexico-breds. The five-year-old gelding prevailed by a head in the final strides over Dm One Hot Charmer, who is also entered in the All American Gold Cup. That win off a seventh-month layoff should put Too Flash For You in peak form for the All American Gold Cup.

Adrian Ramos will ride Too Flash For You with the 10th post position.

Olivas Racing’s Streak Hitter should also be in sharp form for the Gold Cup. After winning the 550-yard SLM Big Daddy Stakes from two starts at Remington Park, the Guadalupe Munoz Jr.-trained Walk Thru Fire gelding came to Ruidoso Downs and made his local debut in the Grade 3, $50,000 Mr Jet Moore Handicap on August 2.

Streak Hitter was near the lead and assumed command by the 350-yard mark. The gelding by Walk Thru Fire pulled out to a one-half length win and should relish the 440 yards of the Gold Cup.

Jaime Parga-Leos rides Streak Hitter with the eighth post position.

Ellen Kennedy Racing’s homebred Houdini has five wins from nine starts at Ruidoso Downs. The gelding looks to regain the form that saw him win last year’s Grade 1, $1,048,682 Rainbow Derby and finish third as the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1, $1,920,887 All American Derby behind Too Flash For You.

Houdini has earned $1,140,314 with $701,136 of that total coming at Ruidoso Downs.

The Luis Villafranco-trained Valiant Hero gelding was third in the 350-yard Higheasterjet Handicap at Ruidoso Downs two starts ago and was fifth behind Streak Hitter in the Mr Jet Moore. He was the strong favorite in each race.

Cody Jensen rides Houdini with the seventh post position.

Supporting the All American Gold Cup on Saturday’s program is the $20,000 Bill Reed Memorial at 870 yards. It will run as the third race.

Jack Manning and Rockin J Running Horses’ homebred Cjs Rocksolid is on a roll with two stakes wins in his latest two starts.

Cjs Rocksolid closed out his Remington Park campaign this spring with a two-length win in the $50,000 Remington Park Distance Championship at 870 yards. Trainer Tammy Kay Johnson then brought the Rock Solid Jess gelding to Ruidoso Downs and he was a late-running winner at 550 yards in the $20,000 Brigand Stakes as 13-10 favorite.

The Thoroughbred Alonso has won his latest two starts, each at 870 yards. He took an allowance race at The Downs at Albuquerque and then won the $35,000 SunRay Park Marathon for owner Tony Pennington.

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