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Runnning Brook Gal Wins All American Futrurity
RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (September 7, 2009) – Albert and Chad Richard’s Runnning Brook Gal gave trainer Paul Jones an All American Futurity-Derby double when she ran away from her competition to win the Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity before a record 23,478 fans on Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs.
Jones won the Grade 1, $624,789 All American Derby with Inseperable on Sunday afternoon. He became the third trainer to win take the futurity-derby double and the first trainer since Jack Brooks swept both races in 1985.
“It's awesome. We've had a super weekend. We won the (Grade 1 All American) Derby (with Inseperable); we won the futurity. It doesn't get any better than this,†Jones said.
It was the third All American Futurity victory for Jones, the seven-time defending national training champion. He won with No Secrets Here (2005) and Teller Cartel (2006). Jones’ New Mexico operation is managed by Lisa Saumell.
“This filly is quick from the gates, and she's going to give you a good race if she breaks,†Jones said. “It's a good group of horses here. She broke, she ran and she beat 'em. It was awesome. We're so happy.â€
Ramon Sanchez hustled Runnning Brook Gal away from the gate in good order and she quickly caught pacesetting Shesa First Ratify. Runnning Brook Gal easily disposed of that rival and pulled away to an expanding one-and-half-length victory.
“It was a very good break, and after that the race was done,†Sanchez said after his first All American Futurity victory.
Runnning Brook Gal raced the 440 yards in :21.144 over a wet, but fast, track.
The nearly black filly capped a sensational summer at Ruidoso Downs with her All American Futurity victory. She came into the 440-yard quarter horse classic as the only horse to qualify for the three Grade 1 futurities – Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American ‑ at Ruidoso Downs this summer and took two-year-old quarter horse of the meet honors. The All American Futurity victory makes her the leading contender for the 2009 champion two-year-old and champion two-year-old filly titles.
“You don't know what kind of performance you're going to get. You load 'em up and you find out what's going to happen,†Jones said. “She's been really super all year long.â€
Runnning Brook Gal started her career in stunning fashion by setting the fastest-qualifying time to the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity. She then hopped at the start and finished sixth in the Ruidoso Futurity, her only below second result from six starts.
That finish proved to be a fluke with Runnning Brook Gal coming back to set the third-fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1, $625,000 Rainbow Futurity while winning her trial by one length. In the 400-yard Rainbow Futurity she raced to the lead but settled for second place after being caught by Zoomin With Ease.
Runnning Brook Gal joined two other horses from the Jones barn – Favorite Cartel and Brooks Midnight – in the All American Futurity when she won her All American trial by nearly two lengths with the second-fastest qualifying time, :21.213.
“I really had fun watching this race,†said co-owner Albert Richard of Roosevelt, Utah. “When they broke (from the gate) it was over. Usually I’m strained, but this was fun.â€
Runnning Brook Gal is the first Utah-bred to win the All American Futurity and the homebred is from the first crop of Brookstone Bay, who raced for Richard.
“I stood there at 2 a.m. when she was foaled. I watched her stand up and nurse,†Richard said. “It means a lot when you raise them. We bought and raced Winners Version, but I’m really excited about this because we raised her.â€
Brooks Midnight, owned by Chad Richard, was raised in the same pasture as Running Brook Gal. Brooks Midnight qualified for the All American Futurity, but was scratched. “She pulled up fine after her trial, but developed a small issue so we scratched her,†Jones said.
Runnning Brook Gal has always been aggressive. “She was definitely the more aggressive of the two fillies. She ran everywhere. When the other horses would walk, she would run,†Richard said.
Runnning Brook Gal could now point to the Grade 2, $300,000 Hobbs America Futurity at Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico on October 11.
Sandy Erwin’s runner-up Shesa First Ratify ran a career-best race, but was no match for Runnning Brook Gal. She won her maiden with her three-quarter length All American Futurity trial victory.
“She run a humongous race,†jockey Bonifacio Perez said. “I always like to ride fillies because they always give you all you ask of them.â€
Richard Shearer’s homebred First Corona Call’s third-place finish was the top finish from the three-horses from the Blane Wood stable. The Wood-trained fastest qualifier and 19-10 favorite Love Samba finished fifth and Gols Victory Pop finished in eighth place.
The only New Mexico-bred in the All American Futurity, First Corona Call was second in the Grade 1, $321,000 Zia Futurity for state-breds and then was a daylight winner of her All American Futurity trial.
Love Samba was sent off as the favorite after setting the fastest-qualifying times to the Rainbow Futurity and the All American Futurity.
“The filly was standing real good in the gates, but when they kicked it, she kinda missed the ground and those horses got away from her,†jockey Ricky Ramirez said. “In a big race like this, you can't make any mistakes. Every mistake counts, and it just wasn't our day.â€
The complete order of finish in the All American Futurity was Runnning Brook Gal, Shesa First Ratify, First Corona Call, Favorite Cartel, Love Samba, Swingin Daddyo, Winners Cartel, Gols Victory Pop and Jess So Sixy.
In the $150,000 All American Juvenile for horses who did not qualify for the All American Futurity, Karen Caison’s Louisiana Blue Dream raced to the win in her second career start.
The Roy Brooks-ridden filly raced the 440 yards in 21.38 to defeat Down With You and Van Zandt.
Louisiana Blue Dream was second in her All American Futurity trial behind All American Futurity finalist Gols Victory Pop.
R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard’s Down With You has finished in the top two in each of his four starts for trainer Jamie Zamora.
The Harvey Baeza-owned and -trained Van Zandt was a close second in the $20,000 Ruidoso Juvenile and has finished on-the-board in each of his five starts.
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For more information, please contact rweber@RaceRuidoso.com .
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