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APOLLTICAL CHAD WINS GRADE 1
MILLION DOLLAR RUIDOSO FUTURITY
Apolltical Chad, under jockey Adrian Ramos, holds of A Revenant in the $1 million Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso DownsRUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JUNE 12, 2016—Nueve Racing's Apolltical Chad got the jump at the start and that may have been the difference in a narrow win over A Revenant in the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
It was the all-time record purse for the Ruidoso Futurity, eclipsing the $750,000 purse in 2013.
Apolltical Chad won by a head in :17.690 for the 350 yards.
Tough To Bee was third, a neck behind A Revenant.
"The horse was doing everything perfect," said winning rider Adrian A. Ramos. "He took the lead and he wouldn't quit. He always tries. He went out a little, but he came back to his position and he ran really, really well.
"He's a positive horse and we're thinking forward."
Apolltical Chad, a $38,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, started his career at Remington Park and was a close second in that debut. The gelding by leading sire Apollitical Jess then came to Ruidoso Downs and stepped up for trainer Wes Giles. He was gelded shortly after he arrived at the Giles barn.
Apolltical Chad is the out the stakes-placed and multiple stakes producing Shazoom mare Fast Prize Tracy, a sister to West Texas Futurity(G1) winner and world record setter Fast Prize Zoom. Weetona Stanley and W.E. Smith bred the gelding in Oklahoma.
Owned by nine interests that comprise Nueve Racing, Apolltical Chad raced to the third-fastest time of :17.770 for 350 yards on the first of two days of Ruidoso Futurity trials. He won that trial by two-and-one-quarter lengths and that established him as the 5-2 second choice in the Ruidoso Futurity.
The $4 million All American Triple Crown Bonus goes to the connections of any horse that can win the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurities. It appears that the Apolltical Chad crew will be passing on the opportunity.
"I don't think that there is any horse – with so many good horses these days – that can win all three races," said Giles. "It's tough, so we'll pass the Rainbow and point at the All American. We'll let the horse tell us." The All American Futurity offers the world's largest two-year-old purse, $3 million, on Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs.
Apolltical Chad had his mind on business coming out of the gate and that helped him achieve the Ruidoso Futurity win. That's an improvement for the gelding. "He has a very short attention span," said Giles. "I think that will improve with maturity."