Solid Defeats Stablemate Chicka Boom Babe In The $167,171 Zia Derby [RG2]

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–JULY 27, 2024–Trainer Wes Giles saddled the top two finishers in the $167,171 Zia Derby [RG2] on Saturday evening at the Downs at Albuquerque. Heavy favorite got the win over stablemate Chicka Boom Babe by a half-length.

After qualifying Solid with the fastest time in the trials, Adrian Ramos returns for the mount in the 400-yard finals. The duo clocked a 91-speed index against a ten mph headwind with a wire-to-wire victory in :19.545 seconds. The winning effort paid $5.60 on 8-5 odds.

Chicka Boom Babe, piloted by Bryan Candanos, chased in second right out of the gate, finishing 1 1/2-lengths ahead of Daddysqueenofalice and rider Noe Garcia Jr.

Lightly raced, Solid only had one out at the end of 2023, where he broke his maiden. The son of Big Daddy Cartel has had three starts this year, giving him three career wins from four total starts. The $73,713 winner's share of tonight's purse boosted his earnings to $117,792.

Leslie and Pierre Amestoy bred Solid in New Mexico out of the First Moonflash mare Paint Your Moon.

Runner-up Chicka Boom Babe has much more experience on the track, with five wins and four seconds from 14 starts. The daughter of Chicks Regard earned $31,591 for her second-place finish, increasing her bankroll to $234,867.

Chicka Boom Babe won last year's New Mexico Classic Futurity [G2], competing in six stakes race competitions. Breeder Ben Ivey of Ivey Cattle Co bred the gray filly out of Riverside Babe by First Moonflash in partnership with Robert Driggers.

J.J. Gonzalez III conditions finisher Daddysqueenofalice for owners Triple R Racing LLC and Kim Middleton. The daughter of Big Daddy Cartel has two wins from ten starts, and the $17,551 third-place earnings boosted her bankroll to $191,810.

Breeder MJ Farms sold Daddysqueenofalice for $180,000 in the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. The Grade 2 stakes winner is out of Alice K White by First Down Dash.

The Big Daddy, Bad King, Crispyn, Grafity, and Bigg Curlie Bill round out the order of finish.

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Live racing returns to the Downs at Albuquerque on Sunday with a 12-race card with five stakes, including the Grade 1 $350,000 Rainbow QH Oaks and the restricted Grade 1 $358,451 Zia QH Futurity. The first post is at 12:30 p.m. (MDT).