ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Highly Lethal V won the $1 million, 350-yard, Ruidoso Futurity in a track record time of 16.886 seconds in the first leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown for 2-year-old quarter horses.
The Ruidoso Futurity, which took place Sunday, June 7, featured 10 horses who qualified on May 23-24 in two days of time trials.
The previous track record at 350 yards was 16.927 seconds, which was held by Apolliperfection.
The winning jockey was Francisco Calderon, the winning trainer was Raymond G. Valerio and the winning owner was Valeriano Racing stables LLC (Sammy Valeriano, et al).
Highly Lethal V now owns two wins in three starts.
How did Highly Lethal V win?
Highly Lethal V broke sharply from the No. 3 post and led the entire way, The win was a near repeat of his qualifying trial win in which he led from start to finish on May 23. He won his qualifying trial in 16.966 seconds.
Lethal Wind was second behind Highly Lethal V in the Ruidoso Futurity for trainer Wesley T. Giles, while Ask Her To Fly was third for trainer Jason Olmstead.
What did winning jockey Francisco Calderon said
“Highly Lethal V ran great and broke great,” Calderon said. “He is getting better all the time and has shown maturity. It was a great win against a good field.”
What did winning owner Sammy Valeriano said
“Francisco did a great job as the jockey and his experience helped the horse calm down and be ready,” Valeriano said. “This is a special horse.”
Nine Degrees didn’t finish Ruidoso Futurity
Nine Degrees stumbled, fell and did not finish the race after starting in post position 1. Jose Luis Enriquez was the jockey.
Ruidoso Quarter Horse Juvenile Stakes
Indefensible won the Juvenile Stakes for horses, who did not qualify for the Ruidoso Futurity. The winning jockey was Sergio Becerra, Jr., the winning trainer was Omar Vargas and the winning owner was Gastroprotect Racing LLC (Arnoldo Armenta LLC).
Indefensible left the gate as the 8-5 favorite and has won both of his career starts.
The winning time was 17.258 Mr Roosevelt was second for trainer John Stinebaugh and Promising was third for Vargas, who trained two of the top three horses in the race.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Highly Lethal V wins 2026 Ruidoso Futurity at Downs At Albuquerque
Reporting by Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
