ZIA FUTURITY & DERBY RESULTS

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A Streak Regard Adds Another Stakes Win With Zia Futurity


RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—A Streak Regard raised his record to five victories from seven starts with a game win in the Grade 1, $363,586 Zia Futurity, the richest race during the Zia Festival afternoon on Sunday at Ruidoso Downs.
The Zia Festival celebrates New Mexico-bred racing with each of the 11 races for state-breds and $1 million in purses. Ten of the 11 races were stakes races. The 400-yard Zia Futurity was contested as the 10th race.

Trained by Juan Gonzalez and ridden by Mark Villa, A Streak Regard defeated Fames QTPI by a quarter length with a :19.392 time.

The Chicks Regard gelding is the leading New Mexico-bred juvenile Quarter Horse with a win in the Grade 2 New Mexico Breeders Futurity and a second in the New Mexican Spring Fling Futurity to go with his Zia Futurity victory.

Runner-up Fames QTPI, trained by Wes Giles, has won half of her four starts and each of her second-place finishes came behind A Streak Regard. The Dash Ta Fame filly was also second to A Streak Regard in the New Mexico Breeders Futurity.

Uncovered Regard, also by first year sire Chicks Regard, finished third in the Zia Futurity after winning his first three starts, including the Desert Classic Futurity at Turf Paradise.

Miracle In Seattle Upsets Gun Battle

Philip Troost’s Miracle In Seattle scored his second career win by defeating All American Futurity runner-up Gun Battle, the 1-2 favorite, in the Grade 2, $93,357 Zia Derby, the eighth race.

Gun Battle got a quick start but could not muster his usual closing charge, finishing a close fifth from the inside post position.

Trained by Henry Dominguez and ridden by Joe Martinez for his second win of the afternoon, Miracle In Seattle won by a nose over Rainbows N Diamonds while it was just another nose back to third-place finisher Miracle Snow.

Miracle In Seattle raced the 400 yards in :19.336.

The homebred son of Dean Miracle broke his maiden two starts before his first stakes win in the Zia Derby.

Danley Strikes Again During Zia Festival At Ruidoso Downs

Trainer Fred Danley, who won three stakes races on the 2006 Zia Festival program, had another “threepeat” during the Zia Festival afternoon on Sunday when he saddled three stakes winners.

Danley started quickly when 2006 champion aged gelding Gotta Get pulled away from All American Derby winner Arealstraitheart in the restricted Grade 3, $45,000 Zia Handicap, the second race. Those two horses were each sent off at 2-1 odds with Gotta Get being favored with $4.00 more bet on him in the win pool.

The J.J. Gonzales II-ridden Gotta Get raced the 400 yards in :19.349 to defeat Arealstraitheart by two lengths. It was another length back to third-place finisher Saguaro Ridge.

Gotta Get was named 2006 champion aged gelding for owners Gordon Cox and Rita Danley when he won each of his seven 2006 starts, all stakes races. He won last year’s Zia Handicap and capped his championship season with a victory over older horses in the Grade 1, $400,000 The Championship at Sunland Park.

In the $122,641 Rio Grande Senorita Futurity, the seventh race, Danley-trained pair of Pocketfullofchime and Blooming Pleasure swept the top-two spots. The Danley-trained Sweetghostrun finished fourth in the field of juvenile fillies.

Pocketfullofchime, ridden by Joe Martinez, raced the five-and-a-half furlongs in 1:06 2/5 for her second win from three career starts. She broke her maiden at first asking and finished third in her Senorita trial.

Blooming Pleasure was second in the Kendrick Handicap two starts back and then won her Senorita trial by more than 11 lengths.

One Bad Ghost finished third.

In the $45,000 Zia 870 Championship, the fifth race, the Danley-trained Jackspots fought back along the rail to get a head win over Mr Frenchman in :45.06.

Despite coming off a second-place effort to 2006 distance horse of the meet Tricky Dust in the Master Salls Handicap, Jackspots was overlooked at 9-1 in the wagering.

Favored On Star Cowboy finished third, more than two lengths back.