Big news from Ruisdos Downs this week: 2007 All Amercian Futurity winner Heartswideopen qualified for the $1,024,682 All American Derby on August 31, where she has a chance to become Quarter racing’s all-time leading money earner.

More big news, especially for handicappers: Noconi, a maiden gelding, was the fastest qualifier to the 2008 All American Derby with a time of 20.98, just 4/100ths of a second slower than Snow Big Deal’s stakes record set in 2003. Strawkins established the 440-track record of 20.73 during the 2006 Rainbow Derby. No Secrets Here holds the All American Futurity stakes record of 20.88.

Noconi, trained by Paul Jones for owners/breeders R.D. Hubbard and Johnny T.L. Jones, picked an opportune time to win his first race. While winless from 10 starts coming into the All American Derby trials, the Mr Jess Perry son had proven his worth with a second-place finish in the G2 Hobbs America Futurity and third-place finishes in the G1 Rainbow Derby and  Ruidoso Derby.

“He wasn’t standing the best, but he broke really well,” said Noconi’s rider Larry Payne. “Wild Six was coming at him, but he had gained too much of a lead early in the race.”

Noconi took the lead in the first jump out of the gate to hold off two-time Grade 1 futurity winner Wild Six, who returned to racing this summer after producing five embryos that were transferred to recipient mares this spring, recorded the third-fastest qualifying time of :21.065.

Heartswideopen, trained by Carl Draper for Javier and Manny Rodriguez, scored a three-quarter-length trial win in :21.053 to have the second-fastest qualifying time. It was her 11th win from 12 starts.

“She broke well and I just let her run,” said the mare’s rider Bonifacio Perez. “If I had gotten after her, she would have run faster.”

The Feature Mr Jess daughter stands to increase her career earnings to $2,227,120 with a $512,341 All American Derby winner’s check. If she does, she will surpass 1990 world champion Refrigerator as the sport’s all-time leading money earner. Refrigerator’s record stands at $2,126,309.

Heartswideopen could also become just the second horse to return to Ruidoso Downs after an All American Futurity victory and sweep the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American derbies. The Carl Draper-trained gelding DM Shicago won the 2004 All American Futurity and the All American 3-year-old Triple Crown in 2005.

“Now the pressure is bigger,” said Draper. “It was (big) with Shicago. But she has already established her value as a broodmare.”