GUN BATTLE HEADLINES ZIA DERBY TRIALS

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM



Gun Battle winning the Zia Futurity(RG1) last
summer at Ruidoso Downs.
Photo by Bill Pitt, Jr.

Gun Battle Back In Action In Zia Derby Trials Friday


RUIDOSO DOWNS RACE TRACK AND CASINO—JULY 9, 2007—All American Futurity runner-up Gun Battle returns to Ruidoso Downs and makes his 2007 debut in the trials to the $93,272 Zia Derby on Friday afternoon.
First post time is 1 p.m. with the two derby trials running as the seventh and eight races. The 10 fastest qualifiers from the trials return for the Zia Derby on July 29. The Zia Derby is one of the showcase races during the stakes-filled Zia Festival program with more than $1 million in purses.

There is free parking and free grandstand admission at Ruidoso Downs with racing on a Thursday through Sunday weekly schedule.

Robert and Del Rae Driggers’ Gun Battle, an earner of $567,386, became a national force last summer when he won Zia Futurity. The Dash Ta Fame gelding scored his first Grade 1 victory in the Zia Futurity with the half-length victory over Mightys First Call.

Gun Battle stepped forward for trainer Fred Danley in the All American Futurity trials when he won his trial by more than five lengths. That most impressive trial victory and the Zia Futurity win earned Gun Battle favoritism in the All American Futurity.

In the $2 million All American Futurity Gun Battle fought with No Secrets Here for the 440 yards before No Secrets Here was able to post the neck win over Gun Battle in stakesrecord time.

Gun Battle is in the seventh race (first trial) with the eighth post position and Esgar Ramirez riding.

Trainer Blane Wood is represented by Mightys First Call and Mister WW in the derby trials.

Mightys First Call, second to Gun Battle in the Zia Futurity, showed the depth of the New Mexico-bred division when she finished fourth in the All American Futurity. The tough filly has raced in seven stakes and earned $247,740.