Ruidoso Futurity Qualifiers

Trusty Jess, a sorrel son of the Good Reason SA stallion Jess Good Candy, is the fastest qualifier from the first of two days of 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity (G1) trials.

Making his official career debut on Friday, Trusty Jess won the seventh of 16 trials by a half of a length in :17.394. Eduardo Nicasio rode the gelding for owners Ray Willis, Cherri Michelet Snyder, and Clifton Eldridge, and trainer Chris O'Dell.

Trusty Jess was bred in New Mexico by Rafter W Stables. The gelding is out of Entrust, a winning daughter of the Elkman (TB) stallion Relagate, and he was purchased by Willis for $52,000 at last year's Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

The second-fastest qualifier from Friday's heats, Bobby D. Cox's Kiss My Wine, broke his maiden with a 2 1/2-length victory in the third trial. Ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo for trainer Heath Taylor and aided by a reported 10-mph tail wind, the gelded son of Kiss My Hocks stopped the timer in :17.416 while scoring his first win in two outs.

Kiss My Wine was bred in Oklahoma by Flag Ranch LLC, and he was purchased by Cox for $180,000 at last year's Heritage Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City. The gelding is out of Mr Perrys Wine, a winning and stakes-placed Mr Jess Perry mare. He traces back to his third dam, Dashin Sandy, a daughter of Streakin Dash who won the 1992 Diamond Classic Futurity (RG2) at Casper, Wyoming, and was a finalist in that season's Grade 2 Golden State Futurity at Los Alamitos.

Kiss My Wine's trial win bumped his earnings to $7,350.

The $1-million Ruidoso Futurity will be run on June 11. Click here for a complete list of qualifiers from the first day of trials. Click here for a list of the first five qualifiers to the June 11, $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile Invitational Stakes.

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