Jess Burner Stakes Preview

Graded stakes winners Fly On Down, River Flash headline Sunday's New Mexico-bred feature at Ruidoso Downs.

River Flash. PHOTO: Coady Photography

Multiple graded stakes winner River Flash will seek his sixth career stakes win in Sunday's Jess Burner Stakes at Ruidoso Downs. PHOTO: Coady Photography

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June 2, 2023 | Racing , Racing | Racing , Racing

Fly On Down, a 5-year-old son of the One Famous Eagle stallion One Handsome Man racing for Dalia F. Aranda, heads a field of a dozen state-bred Quarter Horses entered in Sunday’s 400-yard, $45,000 Jess Burner Stakes (R) at Ruidoso Downs.

Fly On Down is coming off of a nose victory in a division of the 400-yard, $100,000 Jimmy Drake Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park on April 28. The gray stallion has won six of 23 starts — including three of seven at Ruidoso Downs and five of 13 at the 400-yard distance — and he has earned $255,125.

Fly On Down drew post 6 and will be ridden by Alfredo Sigala for trainer Omar Vargas.

Other contenders include River Flash, a homebred 4-year-old Chicks Regard gelding trained by Wes Giles for owners Robert M. Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey. River Flash began his season with a third-place finish, a head behind Fly On Down, in the Jimmy Drake. However, the gelding was coming off of a sophomore campaign during which he banked $373,107 from 10 outs and won four stakes, including the April 24, 400-yard New Mexico Breeders’ Stakes (RG3) at SunRay Park, and the August 6, 400-yard Zia Derby (RG2) at Ruidoso Downs.

River Flash has won four of his five starts at Ruidoso Downs, and seven of 11 at the 400-yard trip. The gelding drew post 8 and will be ridden by Adrian Ramos.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:
No Mires A La Luna (Noe Garcia Jr.), 4-1
Hunky McGoo (Christian Ramos), 10-1
Mr Perry Moon (Francisco Calderon), 12-1
Jesses Dinero (Bryan Candanosa), 8-1
The Calling (Hector Aldrete), 15-1
Fly On Down (Alfredo Sigala), 7-2
Winners Miracle (Edgar S. Martinez), 15-1
River Flash (Adrian Ramos), 9-2
Diezs Daylight (Mario Delgado), 6-1
Big Crush BB (Emilio Tapia), 12-1
AE-Mr Chicks Blazin (Hector Aldrete), 15-1
AE-Daddys Beat (Noe Garcia Jr.), 8-1

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