A move to the Downs at Albuquerque and racing at a longer distance propelled King of the Tide to a win in Monday’s $3 million All American Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses.
King of the Tide won once in his first three starts at Sunland Park and Ruidoso Downs in the spring at 250 and 350 yards, including a game second in the $346,008 Mountain Top Futurity for statebreds at 350 yards at Ruidoso Downs on June 15.
At 440 yards at Albuquerque, King of the Tide proved to be unbeatable this summer.
A gelding, King of the Tide set the overall fastest qualifying time of 21.001 seconds after 32 trials on Aug. 4-5. Despite that accomplishment, King of the Tide was understandably the 4-1 second choice in a field of nine behind the undefeated Political Twist (3-5), the winner of the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity in June and the winner of a trial for the All American Futurity in 21.05 seconds on Aug. 5.
King of the Tide showed on Monday that his fast trial race win was no fluke.
Ridden by Ricky Ramirez, King of the Tide broke from post 5 and was away well. King of the Tide and Political Twist dominated the race, running as a pair throughout. King of the Tide ($10.80) won by a neck and was timed in 21.21 seconds.
Lethal Lobo (11-1) finished third by a half-length in his first appearance in a stakes. The remaining order of finish was Envestor, Ajs Wingman, Kj Xquizit Jess, Dragon Link, The Diesel Train, and Rovos Rail. Dee Favorite Tacha was listed as a veterinarian scratch on the official chart.
King of the Tide is trained by Trey Wood for the partnership of Gene and Tod Bradley and Ware Brown. King of the Tide, who is by the Mr Jess Perry stallion Eye Am King, has earned $1,589,287. The win in the All American Futurity was worth $1.5 million. The gelding was purchased for $130,000 as a yearling in Ruidoso in August 2024.
The All American Futurity was the richest of three major stakes on Monday’s program.
Fdd Dreams confirmed his status as the leading 3-year-old in the nation with a hard-fought win in the $1,080,788 All American Derby at 440 yards, his second major stakes win of the year in New Mexico.
Ridden by Luiz Martinez, Fdd Dreams ($3.40) surged in the final 100 yards to win by a half-length. Fdd Dreams trailed early leader Kj Born to be Wild narrowly before reaching the front. Fdd Dreams was timed in 21.20 seconds.
Ariatt, eighth in the 2024 All American Futurity, finished second at 9-1, a neck in front of 7-2 Kj Born to be Wild.
Fdd Dreams has won 4 of 5 starts this year, including the $793,066 Ruidoso Derby at Ruidoso Downs on June 7.
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Fdd Dreams was the second-fastest qualifier for the $706,693 Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs after time trials on June 29. The final of that race was scheduled for July 12, but was cancelled after floods struck Ruidoso Downs on July 8, prematurely ending the race meeting.
Owned by Javier Rodriguez’s La Feliz Montana Ranch and trained by Xavier Rodriguez, Fdd Dreams has won 9 of 14 starts and earned $1,755,325. In 2024, Fdd Dreams was third in the All American Futurity at Albuquerque and won the Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park in November.
Monday’s win by Fdd Dreams was part of a career-best day for Martinez, who earlier won the $702,907 All American Oaks for fillies with Karmalites.
Trained by Jorge Sanchez, Jr., Karmalites ($20.20) started from the outside post in a field of nine and won by three-quarters of a length over Apollitical Chilitas, a 17-1 chance who started from the inside. Razor Sharp (7-2) finished third by 1 ¼ lengths, while 2-1 favorite Curl Happy Wagon ran last after a poor start.
Karmalites, who ended a three-race losing streak on Monday, was timed in 21.09 seconds for 440 yards. She had the fourth-fastest qualifying time after a second-place finish in the first of four trials on Aug. 6. Karmalites was supplemented to the trials for $30,000 in late July.
Karmalites, who is by the One Famous Eagle stallion The Marfa Lights, races for Fabian Muniz Porras and has won 7 of 16 starts for earnings of $574,812. Her only previous stakes win was the $214,876 Four Corners Futurity at SunRay Park in May 2024.
With the win, Karmalites has staked a position among the division leaders in a year that has lacked a dominant 3-year-old filly.
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