Ruidoso Downs Racetrack

Fire Powwer, S Super King, Alamos all favorites to win

Veteran trainer Tony Sedillo hopes to dominate this weekend’s trials for the Zia Futurity and Zia Derby.

The Friday and Saturday qualifying races at Ruidoso Downs are for New Mexico-bred quarter horses running 400-yards. There are 12 Futurity trials for 2-year-olds on Friday and four Derby trials for 3-year-olds on Saturday with first post time at 1 p.m. both days.

The Zia Derby and Zia Stakes will run July 19, while the Zia Futurity and Juvenile are run July 20 as part of Zia Weekend, showcasing New Mexico-bred quarter horse racing.

“Our horses are ready,” Sedillo said. “We’ve been very fortunate with our state breds so far this year. We’ll just need some racing luck.”

Two of Sedillo’s fastest 2-year-olds, S Super King and Fire Powwer, finished one-two in the $216,000 New Mexico Breeders Futurity at Sunray Park on May 24. S Super King beat his stablemate by a nose.

“It was an exciting race,” Sedillo recalled. “Fire Powwer was closing fast and just missed. I was very pleased with both horses. I would think that Fire Powwer is going to like the extra distance of 400-yards this weekend.”

Fire Powwer, ridden by jockey Luis Martinez, is listed at 2-1 odds on the morning line for Friday’s second race while S Super King is the 5/2 morning line pick in the 10th race. Omar Iturralde will ride. Both horses are owned by CHR Racing’s Juan Ramos and will be making their first local start of the season.

Sedillo is just as hopeful for Saturday’s Zia Derby trials as the horse to catch appears to be Alamos, winner of the $202,000 Mountain Top Derby at Ruidoso Downs June 14. The gelding has won three of four local starts for Tungsten Racing’s Marcelino Gonzalez and is 2-1 on the morning line. Alamos is No. 5 in race five.

“It’s a quick turnaround after winning the Mountain Top,” Sedillo said, “but the horse is telling us he’s in great form. It was a nice stakes win and this horse has developed into a nice 3-year-old.”

A former All American champion trainer, Sedillo says the strength of his barn this season has been with state-bred competition. “Sometimes that’s just the way it works out,” he said. “We’ve had years when the barn has done well with open horses too. But for now, we’re having success with the breeds.”