Love Samba Leads Wood Trio Into All American
 

RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico (August 20, 2009) -Trainer Blane Wood is well positioned for to fulfill is longtime quest for a Grade 1 All American Futurity victory after saddling three All American qualifiers, headed by fastest-qualifier Love Samba (Ruidoso Sale Graduate), from the 20 trials on Thursday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

The horses with the 10-fastest times from the 20 440-yard trials qualified to race for the $1 million first-place check in the finals to the $2 million All American Futurity, quarter horse racing's showcase event on Labor Day.

The $1 million winner's share is the largest in quarter horse racing.

Wood, whose father Leo won the 1979 All American Futurity with Pie In The Sky, continued his excellent summer season at Ruidoso Downs with Love Samba, third-fastest qualifier First Corona Call and eighth-fastest qualifier Gols Victory Pop.

Jim Pitts purchased Love Samba for $160,000 at last year's Ruidoso Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale with the goal of winning the All American Futurity. She is on pace to reach that goal after winning her trial by one-length over seventh-fastest qualifier Swingin Daddyo. The Ricky Ramirez-ridden Love Samba was timed in :21.201 for the 440 yards while Swingin Daddyo was timed in :21.358.

The Corona Cartel-sired Love Samba, ridden by Ricky Ramirez, qualified for the Rainbow Futurity and ran to an impressive fourth-place finish. She flipped in the gate before the start and became wedged underneath the gate. She maintained her cool while she was removed from underneath the gate. After being completely examined by a veterinarian, she did not have a scratch, the field was reloaded and she turned in the fourth-place effort.

Richard Shearer's First Corona Call raced to his second win from seven starts when she won the eighth trial by one-and-quarter lengths in :21.252. The Southern Corona-sired gelding was second in the Grade 1, $312,000 Zia Futurity in her previous start.

Gols Victory Pop, owned by The Zand Limited Partnership, raced to his third win from as many starts with a one-half length triumph in the seventh trial. He was timed in :21.394 with Ricky Ramirez aboard. He won his Remington Park Futurity trial and then was a narrow winner of a Ruidoso Downs allowance race.

Two fillies who were raised together in the same Roosevelt, Utah pasture Runnning Brook Gal and Brooks Midnight are still together as two of the qualifiers.

Those two fillies are among three qualifiers from the Paul Jones barn. The two-time All American Futurity winning trainer will also saddle Favorite Cartel in quarter horse racing's showcase event.

Second-fastest qualifier Runnning Brook Gal and 10th-fastest qualifier Brooks Midnight are still together as two of the three qualifiers from the Paul Jones stable.

Runnning Brook Gal was bred and is owned by Albert Richard and his son Chad Richard, who race as A&C Racing and Roping. The younger Richard is the owner-breeder of Brooks Midnight. The nearly identical-looking fillies are each sired by the young stallion Brookstone Bay.

Runnning Brook Gal is the only horse to qualify for the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurities. She secured that distinction when she won her All American Futurity trial by one-and-three-quarter lengths over Grade 1, $1 million Heritage Place Futurity winner Ragazzo. She won with a :21.213 clocking for the quarter mile with Ramon Sanchez aboard.

Runnning Brook Gal made her first start in the Ruidoso Futurity trials and won her heat with the fastest-qualifying time. She hopped at the start of the Ruidoso Futurity and finished in sixth place.

The nearly black filly came back to win her Rainbow Futurity trial and then battle to a second-place finish in the $625,000 finals behind the late-running Zoomin With Ease.

The Cody Jensen-ridden Brooks Midnight won her All American Futurity trial in :21.418 to join her lifelong acquaintance Runnning Brook Gal in the All American. It was her second win in her fourth career start.

They also raced together in the Rainbow Futurity with Brooks Midnight finishing sixth.

Favorite Cartel, owned by Jones and Thompson Racing, will be one of the choices to win the All American Futurity after his impressive trial performance. The powerfully conformed son of Favorite Trick (tb) pulled away to win his trial by two-and-a-quarter lengths in :21.305, the third-fastest qualifying time.

The homebred colt was a highly regarded member of the Jones two-year-old division since his early training and he national gained attention with back-to-back victories before his third-place run in the Rainbow Futurity.

The complete list of qualifiers and their times are Love Samba (:21.201), Runnning Brook Gal (:21.213), First Corona Call (:21.252), Favorite Cartel (:21.305), Shesa First Ratify (:21.330), Winners Cartel (:21.331), Swingin Daddyo (:21.358), Gols Victory Pop (:21.394), Jess So Sixy (:21.402) and Brooks Midnight (:21.418).

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