American Runaway races to victory in Ruidoso Futurity
American Runaway, the nation’s top 2-year-old Quarter Horse, scored a 1 1/4-length win in the $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity on Sunday at Ruidoso Downs. Racing 350 yards into a 20-mile-per-hour headwind, the Ocean Runaway son stopped the clock at :17.467 seconds.

“He had a beautiful break from the gate,” said winning rider Cody Jensen. “We had the lead in three or four jumps.”

American Runaway made his Ruidoso Downs debut in the Ruidoso Futurity trials with a 4 3/4-length win in :17.138, the the second-fastest 350-yard time ever by a juvenile at Ruidoso Downs. This was the first Ruidoso Futurity win for Paul Jones, who holds eight national trainer of the year awards.

“The Martinez brothers had him going really well before he came here,” said Lisa Saumell, who oversees the California-based Paul Jones training stable in New Mexico. “He wasn’t breaking (from the gate) as well as he could, so we fiddled with that. Also, he doesn’t like being in a stall in the saddling paddock, so we saddled him outside his stall today. We just gave him his way in the paddock.”

Owned by Sammy and Johnny Martinez with Bobby Cox, American Runaway joined the Jones stable at Ruidoso Downs after a spring campaign with co-owner Sammy Martinez as his trainer at Oklahoma’s Remington Park, where he was runner-up in the Grade 1, Remington Park Futurity, Bobby Cox purchased half interest in the colt after the Ruidoso Futurity trial win.

“I thought he was the most impressive horse that I’d seen in a long time, so I looked into buying an interest in him,” said Cox. “Plus, I owned his granddam Dashing Phoebe for many years and I really liked her.”

Dashing Phoebe won the Kansas and Rainbow Futurities at Ruidoso Downs and produced All American Futurity winner and champion Heartswideopen.

American Runaway will now be pointed at the G1 $625,000 Rainbow Futurity on July 25.

The complete order of finish in the Ruidoso Futurity is American Runaway, Treason, Bodacious Dash, Royally Sandra, Legendary Express, Unanchored, Absolut Treasure, Brimmin To Pass, Fredona and No Dice Special.

Double Down Special wins Ruidoso Derby
World record holder Double Down Special claimed his fourth consecutive win while facing a 25-mile-per-hour headwind in the G1 Ruidoso Derby at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday. His $284,482 winner’s share of the purse was more than the total purse for all but two past runnings of the race.

“When he breaks (from the gate) like that it’s over,” said rider Salvador Martinez. “I looked to the inside and he was gone.”

Double Down Special set the 400-yard world record of :18.613 on April 3 in the West Texas Derby. In May, he set the fastest qualifying time of :19.246 in his Ruidoso Derby trial.

“He’s easy to train,” said John Stinebaugh, who conditions the gelded son of The Down Side for Vanessa Bartoo. “We’ll see how he comes out, but we really have our eye on the end of the summer (All American Derby).” Double Down Special’s owner would have to pay a supplemental fee to enter the trials to the $1.5 million All American Derby.

The All American, Rainbow and Ruidoso derbies are three of the four richest Quarter Horse races for 3-year-olds in 2010.

The complete order of finish in the Ruidoso Derby is Double Down Special, Swingin Daddyo, Sir Seth, Smokey Stone, CD Frontier Justice, Kuhl Little Man, Jess So Sixy, Hott Feett, Runaway Stoli and Stepenos.

Zenyatta scores 17th consecutive win
Unbeaten Zenyatta won her 17th consecutive race on Sunday, carrying 129 pounds with Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith in the $250,000 Vanity Stakes for fillies and mares at Hollywood Park.

Last fall, Zenyatta became the first female in history to win the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic, however, the rest of her wins have come in races restricted to females.

It should be pointed out that except for the Breeders Cup Classic, Zenyatta’s wins are not comparable (as has been reported) to those of Citation, Cigar and Mr Frisky, who share the record of 16 wins in races open to both males and females.

Peppers Pride, competing in New Mexico state-bred company holds the all-time record of 18 consecutive wins in restricted company.