The opening weekend of the 2026 Ruidoso Downs horse racing meet at the Downs of Albuquerque took place with trials for the 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity.
Five horses qualified on Friday and five more on Saturday for the Ruidoso Futurity final, which will be held on June 7.
On Sunday, May 24 there will be 10 horses, who will try and qualify for the 400-yard Ruidoso Derby in seven scheduled trials. Post time is 1:30 p.m.
Saturday’s Ruidoso Futurity trials
Highly Lethal V, 16.966 seconds
Trainer: Raymond Valerio
Jockey: Francisco Calderon
Owner: Valeriano Racing Stables LLC (Sammy Veleriano et al)
Nine Degrees, 16.967 seconds
Trainer: Eric Valenzuela
Jockey: FJose Luis Enriquez
Owner: AA Farms LLC (Arturo Ibarra et al)
My Golden Boy, 17.142 seconds
Trainer: Clinton Crawford
Jockey: Jacob Enriquez
Owner: Christopher J and Melody Lykins
Lethal Wind, 17.146 seconds
Trainer: Wes Giles
Jockey: Noe Garcia, Jr.
Owner: Whos N And Out (Ezra Lee et al)
Dulce Dreams, 17.198 seconds
Trainer: JJ Gonzales III
Jockey: Christian Cardenas
Owner: AZ Field Services (Efren Zubio et al)
Friday’s Ruidoso Futurity qualifiers
Ask Her To Fly, 17.120 seconds
Trainer: Jason L. Olmstead
Jockey: Ramiro Haro Garcia
Owner: A. Randall Geiselman
Happy Flying Bird, 17.274 seconds
Trainer: Manuel Rodolfo Rodriguez
Jockey: Gabriel Medrano
Owner: MRB Racing LLC (Elva Rodriguez et al)
Aj Invictus Player, 17.325 seconds
Trainer: Clinton Crawford
Jockey: Jacob Enriquez
Owner: MCR Investments (Yolanda Rogers et al)
Tell A Scout, 17.356 seconds
Trainer: Trey Wood
Jockey: Ricky Ramirez
Owner: Mark McCloy and Fay Annette McCloy
Heartseeker V, 71.416 seconds
Trainer: Raymond G. Valerio
Jockey: Francisco Calderon
Owner: Valeriano Racing Stables LLC (Sammy Veleriano et al)
What jockey Francisco Calderon said about Highly Lethal V
“When we were running I looked at the flag and it was down, then came back up—I knew we were going fast because he ran straight as an arrow,” Calderon said. “He nearly dropped me behind the gates. He’s tough—his time is impressive.”
Trainer Xavier Rodriguez suspended
Xavier Rodriguez, trainer for La Feliz Montana Ranch in Hondo, New Mexico was suspended by New Mexico Racing Commission stewards before Saturday’s trials for the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity.
The trainer’s suspension led to the scratch of seventeen two-year-old quarter horses that were scheduled to race under Rodriguez’s name on Saturday. According to racing officials, the decision to suspend Rodriguez was based on a routine inspection of the barn area by an integrity team made up of race track and industry officials.
A hearing on the matter of Rodriguez’s suspension is expected to be held by the New Mexico Racing Commission Board of Stewards in the near future. In the meantime, La Feliz Montana Ranch and other quarter horses that are listed under the trainer’s name will not be allowed to race including three-year-olds that are entered in Sunday’s trials of the $600,000 Ruidoso Derby.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 10 horses qualify for Ruidoso Futurity final in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Reporting by Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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