All American Futurity Day Two Qualifiers

The field for the $3-million All American Futurity (G1), the sport’s richest race, is complete after 16 trials were held Tuesday on the second day of qualifying at The Downs at Albuquerque. The five qualifiers from Tuesday will join Monday’s five qualifiers, topped by King Of The Tide. The trials and Labor Day final for the Futurity, as well as the All American Derby (G1) and All American Oaks (G1), were moved to the Albuquerque track for the second year in a row due to flooding at Ruidoso Downs. 

The fastest time on the second day of trials was posted by The Diesel Train, a Freighttrain B colt who scored by a neck over fellow qualifier Rovos Rail and clocked 440 yards in :21.060 for a 101 speed index with a 10 mph tailwind. 

Owned and trained by Luis Iturralde and ridden by Omar Iturralde, The Diesel Train was bred in Louisiana by Steve Holt. Sent off at odds of 8-1 in his trial, the colt came in with five lifetime starts showing some ups and downs. When he has broken from the gate in good order, he has run extremely well with a qualifying trial win for the $365,271 West Texas Futurity (G2) at Sunland Park and a second-place effort in his Ruidoso Futurity (G1) trial to advance to the $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile Invitational Stakes. In some other starts, he has encountered difficulties getting out of the gate cleanly. All told, his record stands at 6-2-1-0 with earnings of $21,577.

Rovos Rail, who broke from post 4 just to the inside of The Diesel Train, had the second-fastest time of the day with a clocking of :21.104 with Joseph Bellloc Jr. up for trainer James Gonzales III, who also trains day one qualifier Dragon Link.

A $100,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase bred in Oklahoma by Bird Ranch & Oil LP and owned by R and C Partnership, Rovos Rail started his career at Remington Park, where he won a trial for the Remington Park Futurity (RG1) in his debut but did not qualify to the final. In his second and only other start prior to this race, he ran a non-qualifying second to undefeated Political Twist in a trial for the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). Like The Diesel Train, he is a son of Freighttrain B.

In the day’s first trial, KJ Xquizit Jess posted a 1 ¼-length victory and clocked the :21.121 to earn the third-fastest time. Emilio Tapia was aboard the Arizona-bred by Apollitical Jess for trainer Wes Giles. The gelding was bred by John and Kathy Lee, and he is owned by the Lees and Ruben Mares. The same owners and trainer captured the 2021 All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs with KJ Desparado, the sport’s all-time leading earner with a bankroll of $3,367,447.

KJ Xquizit Jess has earned $14,000 in his three career starts, which included a second-place finish in a Rainbow Futurity (G1) trial and a victory in a Ruidoso Futurity heat. 

In the second trial, Oklahoma-bred Dee Favorite Tacha posted a time of :21.176 with a 1 ¼-length win under jockey Jesse Levario. Ricardo Armendariz Jr. trains the Dulce Sin Tacha gelding and co-owns with Eric Pineda. Dee Favorite Tacha was bred by The Mixer Ranch and sold for $25,000 at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. 

Dee Favorite Tacha won his career debut in a trial to the Ruidoso Futurity that earned him a spot in the final, however, he scratched at the gate. He finished second in a trial for the Rainbow Futurity but did not qualify for the final, which was ultimately cancelled due to the flooding at Ruidoso Downs. The gelding has earned $39,833 in his young career.

The final qualifier on Tuesday was Ricardo Ramirez’s Lethal Lobo, who gave trainer Wes Giles two finalists on the day. In the 15th heat, Lethal Lobo and jockey Noe Garcia Jr. got up to win by three-quarters of a length in a time of :21.194. It was a maiden-breaking victory for the gelding, who previously ran fifth in a Rainbow Futurity trial and third in a Ruidoso Futurity trial. 

A $200,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate bred in Texas by P K Thomas, Lethal Lobo is a son of Favorite Cartel out of the Dean Miracle mare Lethal Delight, a Restricted Grade 1 winner and open Grade 1-placed earner of more than $450,000. 

The field was also set for the $200,000 All American Juvenile Stakes, with Merkaba (:21.199), Its A Good Valentine (:21.208), Ms Famous Corona (:21.234), JC Speeding (:21.237) and Stanleys Salty Prize joining the five qualifiers from day one. 

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