Arealstraitheart

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM

Arealstraitheart Returns Thursday In Ruidoso Downs Feature



RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JUNE 17, 2007—All American Derby winner Arealstraitheart starts his 4-year-old campaign in the 350-yard featured eighth race on Thursday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
First post time for the 9-race card is 1 p.m. with free parking and free grandstand admission.

The Ben Torres-trained Arealstraitheart has been in the upper echelon of his division during each of his years of competition. As a juvenile, he won two Grade 1 stakes and was a close second in the Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity, finishing a neck behind Teller Cartel.

Last year, Arealstraitheart made a strong bid for champion 3-year-old gelding honors with a win in the Grade 1 All American Derby and a close third behind Gotta Get and Pyc Paint Your Wagon in the Grade 1 The Championship at Sunland Park. In the All American Derby he dominated the 440-yard stakes by nearly two lengths in :21.01 as the 7-5 favorite.

Esgar Ramirez, the only rider Arealstraitheart has known in 14 career starts, will be aboard with the second post position in the 9-horse field.

Arealstraitheart did not find an easy spot for his 2007 debut after a 5-month layoff. Among the horses he’ll be facing is the Grade 1 futurity horse Voghts Gold preparing for the Rainbow Derby trials on July 7. He is making his first start since a fifth-place run in the Rainbow Futurity last July.

Last summer, Voghts Gold showed promise, but never seemed to live up to his potential in Grade 1 futurity finals with his fifth-place run in the Rainbow Futurity and a ninth-place finish in the Ruidoso Futurity. His best stakes effort was a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Remington Park Futurity as the 5-2 favorite.

Juan Vasquez will be on Voghts Gold for the first time when they start from the eighth post position.