The Mountain Top Futurity heads the Ruidoso Downs bill on Saturday and although it is not a major national stakes, it can be an opportunity for players to hone their handicapping skills. The $141,382 race is for New Mexico-bred colts and fillies and is carded at five furlongs.
Ruidoso Downs is far removed from the central horseracing meccas like Churchill Downs, Belmont Park and Santa Anita but it has its own charm. The track benefits from the Billy the Kid Casino and the venue is a unique mix of old and new.
It is the only horse track in the United States and Europe that has a separate quarter horse straightaway and also an oval thoroughbred track. This gives the spectators a unique venue. Nestled in the cool pines of Lincoln County, the track offers world-class racing in a relaxing environment
The track is the annual location of the All American Futurity, which is the richest race in Quarter Horse racing.
Ten will face the starter in the Mountain Top Futurity and there are only three winners in the entire field.
From the rail out, Gone Shoppin will be looking for her first victory. The filly is trained by Todd Fincher, who is hitting at 23% this year. She was hung wide in her only start but still kept to her task when settling for second.
Western Style finished a neck behind Gone Shoppin last time. She is also trained by Fincher and at least she showed she can pass horses. Of the runners in the Mountain Top Futurity that were sold at auction, Western Style brought the most money. She cost $60,000.
Storm the Beach is one of the three winners in this race. The gelding won at first asking in March and then was third in the Copper Top Stakes in his second start. He has a legit speed but showed a new wrinkle last time coming from off the pace. He is also in the good hands of Fred Danley, who has won with 12 of his 38 starters this year. Storm the Beach is by the sire Attila’s Storm, who won the Grade 3 Toboggan in his best moment.
The Great Dome at least has a race over the Ruidoso Downs surface now. The Mountain Top Futurity will be his first try in a stakes and he was just beaten by two of today’s rivals.
Belly Button Who appears to be overmatched. He showed a little speed in his debut at Sunland Park in March, and only beat three to the wire in his next race. He debuted at Ruidoso Downs on June 9 but tired badly after having a brief lead.
Wheredoesthecashgo could very well be the calling card for most of the middle class in America but the homebred has a right to improve after a pop and stop performance in his debut.
Blazing Navarone appears to be a budding star for trainer Henry Dominquez. The son of Song of Navarone was not intimidated by the rail in his April debut at Sunland Park. He won in a very game effort that day and returned to win at Ruidoso Downs on June 9 in an allowance event. This horse figures to be a handful.
Sparky Who has his work cut out. He has not been in the money in his three starts and it’s hard to fathom that his connections have a great deal of confidence in this gelding. He only cost $1,500.
Knowledge Is Power only had three published workouts before his debut earlier this month. He may have just not had the proper foundation to perform when running fifth of seven starters. Knowledge Is Power’s sire is Diabolical, who won the Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in 2007 at Saratoga. Diabolical also was second in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
On the Low Down is the third prong in the Fincher arsenal and he looms the one to beat in the Mountain Top Futurity. The runner was fried in a duel in his debut, won the Copper Top Stakes in his next start and ran his eyeballs out in defeat last time. On the Low Down was beaten by a nose in his first Ruidoso start and should be given every chance to move forward today.
The racer is a chestnut son of Dome. His sire is kind of a diamond in the rough. Dome entered stud in ’02, and he has sired the earners of more than $5.4 million, including multiple stakes winners Glory Be Mine, ZZ Dome, and Etoile de Dome. The stallion stands for a $2,500 fee, which seems like an extreme bargain.
The gelding became the seventh black-type stakes winner from 13 crops sired by Dome, an unraced 19-year-old son of the Storm Bird stallion Storm Cat and a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Dixie Union.
On The Low Down is also one of two winners from as many starters produced by Speedin Excess, an 11-year-old daughter of the Siberian Express stallion In Excess. Speedin Excess ran second in the 6-furlong, $122,050 Barretts Debutante Stakes during the Los Angeles County Fair meet back in the day.
If one goes deep into On The Low Down’s pedigree it starts to shine. The second dam, the Regal Classic mare Danish Dessert, is a half-sister to two stakes winners.
From strictly a speed standpoint, there is plenty of zip in the Mountain Top Futurity today. The rail runner Gone Shoppin figures to be asked for her best at the sound of the bell. Even though The Great Dome has yet to win, the colt could be fairly close up early on.
Belly Button Who showed the best career of her life last time. She went :21 and change early but just had nothing left for the drive.
On the Low Down has as much speed as anybody in this stakes. He came from slightly off the pace in both of his last two efforts and figures to set an ideal stalk and pounce kind of a journey. Even though this runner lost a heart breaker last time, he was over five lengths clear of the show horse and that should induce separation again. Look for his rider T. J. Herbert to give this horse his head early, let him track the speed of bit from the outside slot and then tackle them all in the final furlong. One could probably do worse than using Blazing Navarone in the exotics.
Good luck.
