The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal, September 3, 2007 – Javier and Manny Rodriguez’s Heartswideopen won the showdown with the previously undefeated Wild Six in the $2 million All American Futurity (G1), but it wasn’t Wild Six who pressured Heartswideopen to the victory.
Under a stick-switching ride under Oscar Hernandez, Heartswideopen caught
20-1 longshot SF Royal Bank in the final 50 yards to win by a neck. It was another half length back to third-place finisher Captain Courage.
“I’m relieved,” said Heartswideopen’s trainer Carl Draper. “She had to come from out of it, and I was worried when she broke out. But then I saw her kick in, and I stopped worrying because I know how far she can run.”
Wild Six finished a non-threatening sixth after winning each of her first six starts, including the $625,000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) and the $266,000 West Texas Futurity (G1). “(The race) didn’t go our way today,” said jockey Tony Guymon, riding in his first All American. “It was a clean race. She just … I don’t know, I don’t have the explanation right now. It wasn’t our day today, and it was the other filly’s day.”
Ruidoso Futurity winner Heartswideopen raced from the outside post position in the eight-horse field, with Wild Six starting from the 7 hole. The early leaders – Libbys Feature and Greatful Heart – raced on the inside of the track with SF Royal Bank pulling along side halfway though the race. SF Royal Bank took the lead and then Heartswideopen, who was racing near the outside rail, got up in the final 50 yards for her second Grade 1 victory.
“She broke well and then she went out (towards the outside rail),” jockey Oscar Hernandez said after his first All American Futurity victory. “Even though she went out, I knew she would drift in near the grandstand. That’s when I switched sticks (to the left hand).”
Heartswideopen raced the 440-yards in :20.997. She ran the fastest 440 yards ever by a filly or mare and the all-time fastest quarter mile by a filly or mare when she won her trial in :20.921.
It was the second All American Futurity victory in four years for Heartswideopen’s trainer Carl Draper and ended a bid for a record three-straight All American Futurity victories for SF Royal Bank’s trainer Paul Jones. Draper won the 2004 All American Futurity with DM Shicago, who went on to sweep the three Grade 1 derbies at Ruidoso Downs to be named 2005 world champion. Five-time defending national training champion Jones won the 2005 running with Teller Cartel and last year’s edition with No Secrets Here, who set the stakes record :20.88.
A $60,000 yearling purchase in the 2006 Ruidoso Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale, Heartswideopen has been brilliant since breaking her maiden in her career debut in March at Sunland Park. She broke her maiden in :15.21 for 300 yards, the quickest maiden-race time of the Sunland Park season. She bettered that time and posted the fastest-qualifying time to the West Texas Futurity when she won her 300-yard trial in :15.12.
The $1 million first-place check pushed Heartswideopen’s earnings to $1,282,690. The only blemish of her record came when she finished sixth in the West Texas Futurity, as the 4-5 favorite behind Wild Six. Ironically, that result was exactly reversed when Heartswideopen won the All American Futurity and Wild Six finished sixth.
A daughter of Feature Mr Jess and two-time champion Dashing Phoebe, Heartswideopen bounced back when she set the fastest-qualifying time of :17.33 for the 350-yard Ruidoso Futurity and then won the $500,000 finals in a stakes record :17.08 while winning by a 1 1/4.
Draper then passed the Rainbow Futurity to point his filly at the All American Futurity and gave up the opportunity to earn the $4 million All American Triple Crown Bonus that goes to the connections of any horse who can sweep the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurities.
Runner-up SF Royal Bank, with Freddie Martinez up, ran the best race of his four-race career to finish a strong second.
“We just about got it. He ran a hell of a race,” Jones said. “We were the 18-1 longshot and to come out there and to just about win – she (Heartswideopen) caught us at the last jump. To run the race he ran, we really got him to step up to the plate today.”
Martinez added: “It was a perfect race. We had the best, cleanest break we could have had. I got outrun by a good mare.”
Third-place finisher Captain Courage lived up to his sale-topping $415,000 purchase price at last year’s Ruidoso Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale with his third-place finish for owners Chad Hart and Burnett Ranches.
“My horse was just phenomenal,” said four-time champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. “He was really on his toes, and I was really expecting him to run a big race the way he was acting.
“He broke really good, and I was right there with Heartswideopen and Freddie’s horse (SF Royal Bank) the first 100 yards and my horse just gave it all to me.”
Captain Courage, a son of champion and broodmare of the year Corona Chick, also ran his best race in the All American Futurity for trainer Heath Taylor. “Any time you’re in this race, you want to win, but I thought the horse ran a tremendous race,” Taylor said. “He broke well, got away good. You have to take your hats off (to Heartswideopen). She’s one of the fastest fillies that’s probably ever run. We wanted to win, but we got a super, super race.”
The complete order of finish was Heartswideopen, SF Royal Bank, Captain Courage, Greatful Heart, Libbys Feature, Wild Six, Coronas Fast Dash and Strong Hope. The injured Royal Holland Line and Sure I Fly were scratched.
In the $150,000 All American Juvenile, Gene White and Wayne Metcalfe’s White Or Wrong pulled away to win the race for juveniles who did not qualify for the All American finals. The Sleepy Gilbreath-trained filly raced the 440-yards in :21.35 to break her maiden in her fourth start. The Mr Eye Opener filly was a close second in her previous two starts.
Jess Ought To Flash finished second, but was disqualified and placed last in the six-horse field. That disqualification moved Possum Fust up to second and Red Storm Cat to third.
Monday’s closing-day card was presented to a crowd approaching 20,000 and
$1,525,254 was wagered on the 12-race program, including $583,467 on the All American Futurity.
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