RUIDOSO – Trainer Todd Fincher, who saddled seven of the nine starters in Sunday’s $132,000-added Mountain Top Thoroughbred Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, wound up with three of the top four finishers when the 5-furlong event reached the finish line.
Heavily favored Community Leader and jockey Felipe Valdez overcame a slow start from the gate, rallied to slip past his rival Sporty Pants in the final yards to score a narrow victory.
Owned and bred by J. Kirk and Judy Robison, Community Leader was the fastest qualifier for the Futurity when trials were held here on June 9. The 2-year-old son of Diabolical inched clear for an easier-than-looked win that afternoon when making his career debut.
Sunday’s win, on the other hand, required a little more work from Valdez.
“My horse normally breaks, but he didn’t today,” Valdez said. “We were able to sit back and then I asked him for more a little early because we had an opening. I’ve worked with this gelding for a long time and I know he likes competition which made him strong in the stretch.”
Community Leader finished a head in front of Sporty Pants and jockey Kelsi Purcell to earn the victory. Sent off at odds of 1.30-to-1, Community Leader paid $4.60 to his winning backers while running his record to two wins from two starts.
Community Leader ran the 5 furlongs in a final time of 1 minute, 0.25 seconds.
Second place finisher Sporty Pants, trained by Casey Lambert and ridden by Kelsi Purcell, completed the $2 exacta, which returned $41.80.
Higher Ed finished third under jockey Christian Ramos, while Mark the Date and jockey Tracy Hebert finished fourth.
Sporty Pants and fifth-place finisher Amigo Loco were the only two starters in the nine-horse field not trained by Fincher. Amigo Loco was ridden by Alejandro Medellin for trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley, Jr.
Live racing returns to Ruidoso Downs with a flourish this weekend, with trials for the Rainbow Futurity on Friday and Saturday. There are a total of 16 trial races scheduled for both Friday and Saturday with each day’s programs set to begin at 1 p.m.
Lets Leave, winner of the Ruidoso Futurity earlier this month for trainer Eric Valenzuela, was not entered back into the trials for the Rainbow Futurity, meaning once again, there will not be a chance at a Triple Crown in quarter horse racing. Wired 440, who finished second behind Lets Leave in the Ruidoso Futurity, has been entered into Friday’s fourth race, one of more than 300 horses who will attempt to qualify for the 400-yard Rainbow Futurity over the weekend.
