All American Futurity Report - Heartswideopen, Wild Six Blaze First And Second Fastest Overall Qualifying Times
Heartswideopen sets new All American Futurity qualifying time at 440 yards
RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM - AUGUST 16, 2007 - The anticipated showdown between Ruidoso Futurity winner Heartswideopen and Rainbow Futurity winner Wild Six will occur in the finals to the Grade 1, $2 million All American Futurity on Labor Day after the two fillies raced to the top two qualifying times last week at Ruidoso Downs.
The two-year-olds with the 10 fastest times from the 18 440-yard trials qualified to race in the All American Futurity.
Javier and Manny Rodriguez’s Heartswideopen won the seventh trial by one-and-a-quarter lengths in :20.921, the all-time fastest qualifying time for any All American Futurity run at 440 yards. AB What A Runner set the previous qualifying record of :20.993 in 2002 and then went on to win the All American Futurity. Wild Six remained undefeated from six starts with her three-and-a-quarter length win in the ninth trial with the second-fastest qualifying time of:21.051.
Heartswideopen, a $60,000 Ruidoso Quarter Horse Yearling Sale purchase a year ago, the FEATURE MR JESS filly was pointed at the All American Futurity trials after she won the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity on June 10 in a stakes record :17.08 for 350 yards. Heartswideopen was eligible to race in the Rainbow Futurity trials, but trainer Carl Draper opted to pass on the Rainbow Futurity so the filly would be in prime form for the All American Futurity trials. “The time after the Ruidoso Futurity helps her develop,” said Draper, winner of the 2004 All American Futurity with world champion DM Shicago. “She is bigger, stronger and the rest freshened her up. She’s a happy camper.” When Draper passed on the Rainbow Futurity, rumors spread that the filly was hurt and couldn’t compete. “Everybody that said she was crippled should look at her now,” Draper jabbed after the spectacular trial win.
While Heartswideopen skipped the Rainbow Futurity, Wild Six raced to a hard-fought neck win in the Grade 1 futurity worth $625,000. It was her second Grade 1 victory after closing strongly to win the $266,000 West Texas Futurity in April at Sunland Park. Owned by John Lee, Lincoln Sherwood and Herman Mineer, the TRES SEIS filly has been pointed at the All American Futurity since being purchased for $32,000 at last year’s Ruidoso Quarter Horse Yearling Sale. After winning the West Texas Futurity the owners said the All American was their primary objective. Trainer Wes Giles entered her in the Ruidoso Futurity trials, but Wild Six flipped in the gate before her trial and was scratched. Giles helped her regain her professional form and she has not made a bobble in her three subsequent starts. Heartswideopen led four qualifiers from the seventh trial across the finish. Also eligible for the $1 million first-place check for that heat were Sure I Fly, Captain Courage and SF Royal Bank. All of the 177 entrants in the All American Futurity trials remain eligible to compete in next year’s Grade 1 All American Derby that could have a $1 million purse to be the richest Quarter Horse derby of 2008.
FEATURE MR JESS has another qualifier in the Futurity with Libbys Feature. The filly won the 16th trial by one length for owner Melba DeLaCerda. Bred by Henry E. Brown and trained by Larry Payne, Libbys Feature covered the 440 yards in :21:444 for the seventh best overall time. Of the 10 horses qualifying for the All American Futurity, three are sired by JEH Stallions.
