Three of the top four ranked 2-year-olds in the latest AQHARacing.com-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 polls are entered in Thursday’s trials for the All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs. Among the 26 jam-packed trials will be appearances by No. 2-ranked High Rate Of Return (Trial 21), No. 3 Feature Mr Bojangles (Trial 19) and No. 4 Mighty B Valiant (Trial 1). The All American Futurity hopefuls also include this week’s No. 10-ranked runner, The Long Knife (Trial 16).

There was little change to the 2-year-old rankings this week, as West Coast-based Separate Fire remained on top and awaits lucrative challenges at Los Alamitos this fall. Pollsters shuffled the positions this week for No. 6 Osbaldo and No. 7 Adolph Tres Knockout in the only minor shift among the juveniles.

The older-horse rankings remained unchanged at the top, as Rylees Boy continues his hold on the top spot once again this week. Noconi edged back into the poll at No. 10, nosing out last week’s No. 10 Prospect To The Top, for the final spot in this week’s rankings. Among the top-rated older horses competing in Friday’s trials to the All American Derby (G1) at Ruidoso will be No. 3-ranked Cold Cash 123 and No. 6 Llano Teller.

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS

SEPARATE FIRE (89)
HIGH RATE OF RETURN (77)
FEATURE MR BOJANGLES (73)
MIGHTY B VALIANT (57)
SILVER FOR ME (56)
OSBALDO (30)
ADOLPH TRES KNOCKOUT (27)
JESS TEE OFF (29)
SIZZLIN CARTEL (18)
THE LONG KNIFE (17)

Illtacmanhattan (6), JLS Party Wagon (6), Fixin To Fly (4), Back In The Pack (2), Kindly Fellow (2), Triple Vodka (1), Oceanik (1)

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP

RYLEES BOY (89)
LOUISIANA SENATOR (78)
COLD CASH 123 (74)
CHIVALRY SR (51)
SNITCHER (42)
LLANO TELLER (36)
CAPO DE CAPI (30)
GOOD REASON SA (20)
BODACIOUS DASH (16)
NOCONI (13)

Prospect To The Top (12), The Louisiana Cartel (7), Stylish Jess BR (5), Stolis Winner (5), DM Streakin Thru Fire (5), Streakin Down (4), Filthy Fast (3), Hot Hitter (2), Freighttrain B (1), JLS Mr Bigtime (1), Acorn (1), A Tincup Cocktail

The nine voters are:

Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper)
Martha Claussen (AQHA Q-Racing Aces/writer/handicapper)
Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper)
Tom Dawson (network television producer)
Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper)
Jerry Shottenkirk (handicapper/oddsmaker)
Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor)
Terry Turrell (Horseplayernow.com handicapper)
Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA)

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The Q-Racing Journal, August 12, 2011 – Champion Leading Spirit earned his AQHA Supreme Race Horse award in 2008, although due to a clerical error, he was only recently awarded his trophy. The honor is given by AQHA to a horse that during its racing career earns $500,000 or more and wins at least 10 races, including two or more open Grade 1 stakes races.

Leading Spirit is a 2003 gelding by Special Leader out of the Special Task mare Sandras Task.

Bred by Dr. Barry Thompson of West, Texas, he is co-owned by Thompson and Dan and Jolene Urschel.

Leading Spirit won 10 of 19 starts, finished second three times and third four times, with earnings of $811,413 in a career that spanned 2005-2008.

The 2005 champion 2-year-old gelding won five stakes, including the Grade 1 West Texas, Ruidoso and Rainbow futurities. He also won the 2007 First Down Dash Handicap (G3) and 2008 Bank of America California Championship Challenge (G2).

Leading Spirit also finished second in the 2007 Go Man Go Handicap (G1) and 2008 Independence Day Handicap (G3). He was third in the 2007 California Championship Challenge (G2) and Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Stakes, and was a finalist in the 2007 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship (G1).

The Supreme Race Horse award is recorded by hand, and Leading Spirit’s award was overlooked. AQHA apologizes to Dr. Thompson, the Urschels and Leading Spirit’s connections for the oversight.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

Q-Racing Journal, July 21, 2011 – Carl Pevehouse’s homebred Haulin Candy Salt tries for her first stakes win in the $385,500 Speedhorse Gold and Silver Cup Futurity (RG2) and Heritage Place Derby (G2) winner Capo De Capi shoots for a second derby victory in the $100,000 Speedhorse Gold and Silver Cup Derby (RG3) at Fair Meadows on Saturday night.

Haulin Candy Salt (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Salt Lake Spitty by Salt Lake (TB)) moves up to the stakes ranks for trainer Clinton Crawford after winning two of her three starts and one second-place finish. She won her career debut at Remington Park and then finished in a dead heat for second in a second-level
allowance race.

Those races put her in top form for the Gold and Silver Cup trials and she responded with a length win in :17.641 for the 350 yards, the fastest-qualifying mark from seven trials.

Mary Passmore’s Second Painted Sign (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Stylish Sign by Vital Sign) also comes into the futurity in winning form. After finishing off the board in his first two starts, he stepped up with a pair of wins. The Jackie Kirby-trained colt rolled to a daylight maiden score with the second-fastest qualifying time of :17.644.

Trainer Eddie Willis has the two-fastest qualifiers to the Gold and Silver Cup Derby with Capo De Capi and Blackwater Command.

James Sills’ Capo De Capi (Corona Cartel-A Shot At Glory by Strawfly Special) has already made six starts this year and is riding a four-race winning streak. Highlighting the winning streak is his neck win at 30-1 odds in the Heritage Place Derby. He substantiated that upset score in his Gold and Silver Cup Derby trial with a length win, and his time of :17.514 was the quickest from the three trials.

Mike Vaughn’s homebred Blackwater Command (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Soxolene by Whirling Fastball) also scored a stakes win at Remington Park last spring with a nose score in the Mr Master Bug Handicap (R) over Oklahoma-breds. The winner of three of four 2011 outs dominated his trial by 1 1/2 lengths with the second-fastest time of :17.573.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

Q-Racing Journal, July 15, 2011 – Starting August 15, testing for clenbuterol in Ontario Quarter Horse racing is expanding to include a 30-day withdrawal period and lower threshold levels, according to a release by Ontario Racing Commission Deputy Director Rob McKinney. The goal of the initiative is to eliminate any abuse, overuse, or non-therapeutic use of this drug, and when used, to confirm that the drug has been legally obtained and correctly administered.

Clenbuterol is a bronchial dilator sold under the name Ventipulmin (trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica) as an injectable suspension and oral syrup to treat breathing disorders.

This expansion by the Ontario Racing Commission will complement the existing efforts of the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, which has included clenbuterol in its testing protocol for over 20 years. This new initiative is a result of concerns brought forward by the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. regarding alleged misuse of this therapeutic drug and the health and safety of the horse.

On June 16th, the ORC announced the first phase of this project involving random out-of-competition testing for the presence of the drug. ORC investigators will continue to inquire as to the use of clenbuterol and then examine the records of the trainer and veterinarian.

Under this new phase, a 30-day clenbuterol withdrawal period for a horse competing in a race and minimum threshold are: 200 picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) or less in urine and 1-2 picograms per milliliter (pg/ml) in blood.

A directive authorizing this phase of the project is under development, but it is anticipated that the regulatory action for confirmed presence of clenbuterol will include:
· Disqualification of the horse from the race;
· Return and redistribution of all earnings from that race;
· Horse made ineligible to race until owner produces a negative test result; and the ORC investigation is complete.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The American Quarter Horse Journal, July 7, 2011 – Sizzlin Cartel set a 350-yard track record in Saturday’s Firecracker Futurity (G2) at Delta Downs, earning him a No. 8 ranking in the latest AQHA Racing-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 poll for 2-year-olds. He was one of two Delta Downs-based juveniles to make a national splash this week, joining Sunday’s Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1) winner Little Bit Trashy, who debuted at No. 10.

Sizzlin Cartel lowered the 350-yard standard to :17.218 behind a romping, 1 1/2-length win in the Firecracker Futurity. Runner-up in the Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity (G3) final at Louisiana Downs earlier this year, Sizzlin Cartel has now won three of five lifetime starts.

Little Bit Trashy set a Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity stakes-record time of :17.231 for 350 yards, winning for the third time in four career starts while taking on fellow Louisiana-bred runners.

Meanwhile, this Friday’s Rainbow Futurity (G1) trials at Ruidoso Downs will feature three of the top-ranked juveniles in the nation in this week’s poll, No. 3 Mighty B Valiant, No. 4 Silver For Me and No. 9 JLS Party Wagon. Separate Fire maintains the top spot in the 2-year-old poll as July is unveiled, while Rylees Boy remained No. 1 among pollsters in the rankings for horses 3 and older.

The only minor changes in the poll for older horses this week came when Capo De Capi dropped just outside the Top 10, raising No. 9 Streakin Down and No. 10 Stolis Winner up a spot, respectively, from a week ago. A victory by former world champion Freaky in Los Alamitos’ Independence Day Handicap was not enough for pollsters to return him to the national Top 10 this week.

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS:

1.   SEPARATE FIRE (89)
2.   HIGH RATE OF RETURN (79)
3.   MIGHTY B VALIANT (73)
4.   SILVER FOR ME (62)
5.   JESS TEE OFF (47)
6.   ADOLPH TRES KNOCKOUT (39)
7.   OSBALDO (23)
8.   SIZZLIN CARTEL (22)
9.   JLS PARTY WAGON (17)
10. LITTLE BIT TRASHY (9)

Back In The Pack (8), Sammy James (5), Fixin To Fly (4), Ranch Candy (4), Ochoa (3), Fire Moon Lady (2), Preacher James (1), Feature Mr Bojangles (1)

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP:

1.   RYLEES BOY (89)
2.   LOUISIANA SENATOR (77)
3.   LLANO TELLER (70)
4.   SNITCHER (46)
5.   JLS MR BIGTIME (35)
6.   GOOD REASON SA (31)
7.   PROSPECT TO THE TOP (29)
8.   FREIGHTTRAIN B (28)
9.   STREAKIN DOWN (22)
10. STOLIS WINNER (15)

Capo De Capi (14), Noconi (11), The Louisiana Cartel (8), Fredaville (7), Stylish Jess BR (4), A Tincup Cocktail (3), Strike It Quick (3), Texas Icon (2), Freaky (1), PK Fire (1)

The nine voters are:

Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper)
Martha Claussen (Q-Racing Ace, writer/handicapper)
Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper)
Tom Dawson (Q-Racing Ace, network television producer)
Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper)
Jerry Shottenkirk (Q-Racing Ace, handicapper/oddsmaker)
Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor)
Terry Turrell (Horseplayernow.com handicapper)
Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA)

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 30, 2011 – Executive Miss Dash and One Famous Brioni, the top two qualifiers and one-two finishers in their trial, are set for a rematch in the $297,077 Firecracker Futurity (G2) during a stakes-filled Fourth of July weekend at Delta Downs.

The 350-yard Firecracker Futurity is joined by the $133,045 Firecracker Derby on Saturday as Louisiana-breds highlight Sunday’s card in the $458,180 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1) on Sunday.

Albert Vera Jr.’s Executive Miss Dash (Executive Menace-Miss Ryon Dash by Dash For Destiny) raced to her third win from four starts with the game win over the promising One Famous Brioni in their trial. The Erika Huitron-trained Executive Miss Dash fought for the lead in her trial and prevailed by a neck with a :17.577 time for the 350 yards.

The only blemish on Executive Miss Dash’s record is a second-place finish in the John Deere Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge (G3) two starts ago on May 14. She finished three quarters of a length behind Pandorum as the 5-2 second choice.

Mary Thompson’s One Famous Brioni (Mr Jess Perry-One Famous Lady by Chicks Beduino) is still a maiden after two starts; however the half brother to champion One Famous Eagle has a large upside. The Larry Kopycinski-trained colt was a late-running third in his career debut and then came back to finish well in his trial with the second-fastest time of :17.608.

J. E. Jumonville Jr.’s homebred Sizzlin Cartel (Corona For Me-In His Dreams by Apollo (TB)) was second in the Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity (G3) at Louisiana Downs in his second career start and has stepped up with a pair of wins at Delta Downs. He won his Firecracker trial by three quarters of a length with the third-fastest time of :17.614 for trainer Justin Dehart.

Mercy Hinkin’s homebred Feature Mr Alliance (Feature Mr Jess-Valentine Alliance by Holland Ease) looks for his first stakes win as the fastest qualifier to the Firecracker Futurity. The gelding won the first of three trials by a length and stopped the clock in :19.557 for the 400 yards.

The Kenneth Roberts-trained Feature Mr Alliance returned from a layoff two starts ago and prepared for the Firecracker Derby trials with a win in a conditioned allowance race.

Feature Mr Alliance will be challenged by Vera’s Executive Precision (Executive Menace-Miss Ryon Dash by Dash For Destiny), a full brother to Firecracker Futurity fastest-qualifier Executive Miss Dash. He raced to his fifth win in his 15th start when he won his trial by a half length with the second-fastest time of :19.605.

In the Lee Berwick Futurity, with a purse exceeding the Firecracker Futurity and Firecracker Derby combined, fastest-qualifier Jessalittlecourage meets three horses from the Janet VanBebber barn.

Joseph Landreneau’s Jessalittlecourage (Jess Louisiana Blue-Faith And Courage by Stoli) raced to her third-straight win when she won her trial by 1 1/4 lengths in :17.408 for the 350 yards. She easily opened up 2 lengths before cruising under the wire with the easy score.

The Alvin Smith Jr.-trained Jessalittlecourage impressed in the Louisiana Breeders Lassie Futurity (RG2) two starts ago when she set a new 330-yard track record of :16.354 while winning by 1 1/2 lengths.

VanBebber is represented by second-fastest qualifier Little Bit Trashy (Game Patriot-Della Loom by Streakin La Jolla), fourth-fastest qualifier Unquestionable (Oak Tree Special-Real Or Imagined by Dash For Cash) and fifth-fastest qualifier Tachas Got Game (Game Patriot-Tacha La Jolla by Streakin La Jolla).

Robert Latham’s Little Bit Trashy won his trial by 1 1/4 lengths with a time in :17.493 after winning his maiden two starts ago.

Patrick Huckman’s Unquestionable won her maiden two starts ago and then was second in her Berwick trial with a time of :17.645.

Pete Scarmardo’s Tachas Got Game scored his second-straight win when he won his Berwick trial by a neck in :17.659.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 15, 2011 – The 4-year-old stallion Neversaynever has officially captured the 330 yard world record. The gray, owned by Tony Sedillo and Sherri Galvez, on February 27 raced to a time of :15.859 at Sunland Park, and the mark was approved by AQHA.

The time lowers Wcrseperateandcool’s record of :15.951 set 21 days earlier at the same track.

Neversaynever set the record in a starter allowance for horses 4 and up. He was trained by Tony Sedillo and ridden by Miguel Perez, and won the race by two lengths while earning a 124 speed index. There was a 28 mph tailwind during the race over a fast track.

The verification of the new record was pending when Vaughn Cook’s Ivory Riches raced to a 330-yard time of :15.922 on May 30 at Arapahoe Park, which appeared to be faster than Wcrseperateandcool’s time, but is slower than Neversaynever’s time.

Bred by MJ Farms, Neversaynever is out of the Thoroughbred mare Numbered Lady, by Polish Navy. He has won five of 12 lifetime starts and earned $63,862.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

AQHA modifies rules regarding lip chains and behavior in halter horses, and the number of horses allowed to be shown by an exhibitor in individual worked classes at all of AQHA’s world shows, and adds a “shootout round” to individually scored classes.

The American Quarter Horse Journal – The American Quarter Horse Association Executive Committee has approved modifications to three AQHA showing rules. Here are the modifications:

* Rule 441(c): Applying excessive pressure on or excessive jerking of a halter lead shank or an allowed lip chain is prohibited.

* Rule 448(d): defines lip chains in size, dimension, length and type; explains that the lip chain is to rest under the lip and over the upper gum of the horse and not through mouth; and that effective immediately, stallions 1 year of age and older may be shown with an allowed lip chain in open and amateur divisions; effective August 1, 2011, mares 1 year of age and older and geldings 1 year of age and older may be shown with an allowed lip chain in amateur and youth divisions; effective immediately, the following horses may not be shown with an allowed lip chain: weanlings; any horse shown in a performance halter class and any horse shown in a versatility ranch horse conformation class.

* Rule 448(e) Procedure for Judging the Class: (1) Horses will walk to the judge one at a time. As the horse approaches, the judge will step to the right (left of the horse) to enable the horse to trot straight to a cone placed at least 35 feet (10 meters) away. At the cone, the horse will continue trotting, turn to the left and trot toward the left wall or fence of the arena. After trotting, horses will be lined up head to tail for individual inspection by the judge. The judge shall inspect each horse from both sides, front and rear. At single-judged shows, the judge should line the horses to be placed in a head-to-tail order according to preference.
(2) A well-mannered horse is a horse that (i) is under control by the exhibitor while tracking and standing for inspection and (ii) is reasonably still and flat-footed while standing for inspection.
(3) For purposes of this rule, the term “disruptive behavior” includes, but is not limited to, rearing, striking, biting, or backing or falling into others.  Judges should disqualify and excuse from the ring prior to final placing a horse that:
(A) exhibits disruptive behavior such that it or other horses are unable to be inspected by the judge;
(B) exhibits disruptive behavior such that the safety of it, the handler, an exhibitor, a judge or another horse is endangered;
(C) is not under the control of the exhibitor;
(D) becomes detached from the exhibitor;
(E) has fallen and is on its side with all four feet extended in the same direction;
(F) is observed with blood on its body, including, but not limited to, the nose, chin, mouth, tongue, or gums, regardless of cause; or
(G) is lame.
(4) Rather than disqualify, a judge may choose to fault a horse that is exhibiting disruptive behavior so long as such disruptive behavior does not qualify as being any of the behaviors described in (A) – (E) immediately above.
(5) If a horse exhibits disruptive behavior described in (A) – (E) immediately above and causes other exhibitor(s) to lose their horse(s), only the initiating horse will be disqualified and excused. The decision of the judge(s) will be final.
(6) All stallions 2 years old and over shall be examined to confirm that they have two visible testicles. All mares and stallions shall be examined for parrot mouth (see Rule 205(a)). If examination reveals that a horse has parrot mouth or is cryptorchid, such horse should be excused from the ring prior to final placing by the judge regardless of whether the parrot mouth or cryptorchid condition is marked on the horse’s registration certificate.

* Rule 450(m)(3): For 2011 world shows only, exhibitors are allowed to exhibit three junior and three senior, and amateur and youth exhibitors may show three horses in individual worked events.

* AQHA will continue with the current practice that the top 15 exhibitors in a world show class, plus ties, automatically advance to the finals. However, in individually scored classes with more than 80 entries, a new policy will allow the following: the next 15 exhibitors (plus ties) will advance to a “shootout round,” with the top five exhibitors from that shootout round also advancing to the finals. This is a second chance – or a “do over” – for the second group of 15 exhibitors. Ties will be broken by AQHA’s normal tie-breaking system to ensure that no more than five advance to the finals out of the shootout round to keep the finals manageable.

* In classes where the exhibitor is being judged (western horsemanship, showmanship, equitation on the flat and equitation over fences) where there are more than 100 entries, the class will be split in half and the top 15 exhibitors out of each section will come back for a semi-finals round.

If you have any questions regarding these rule modifications, contact the AQHA Competition Department at (806) 376-4811.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 6, 2011 – Ed Melzer’s Streakin Down has become AQHA’s newest Supreme Race Horse. The honor is given by AQHA to a horse that during its racing career earns $500,000 or more and wins at least 10 races, including two or more open Grade 1 stakes races.

Streakin Down is the 26th racing American Quarter Horse since 1983 to earn the distinction of AQHA Supreme Race Horse. He is a 4-year-old gelding by Streakin Sixes out of the Heza Fast Man mare First Lady Amber. He finished the qualifications for the award on April 24, when he won his trial for the Bank of America Remington Championship Challenge (G2) in track record time, covering the 440 yards in :21.005.

Streakin Down has won 10 of 22 starts and earned $741,326.  Last year, he won the Heritage Place Derby (G1) and Texas Classic Derby (G1). He has also run second in the Heritage Place Futurity (G1) and third in the Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) and was a finalist in the All American Derby (G1), Rainbow Derby (G1) and Remington Park Derby (G2).

This year he was second in the Eastex Handicap (G2), Leo Stakes (G1) and Bank of America Remington Championship Challenge (G2) and third in the Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1).

Streakin Down has been trained throughout his career by Eddie Willis. Bred by Marcus Smith, the Texas-bred gelding is the first stakes winner out of his unraced dam, a half sister to stakes winner Miss Jess Perry.

Streakin Down is by the Streakin Six stallion Streakin Sixes, a stakes-placed runner who has sired the earners of more than $4 million, including champion Miss Kips Streakin.

A resident of Edmond, Oklahoma, Melzer bought Streakin Down for $17,000 at the 2008 Heritage Place Yearling Sale.

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104

The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 1, 2011 – The May 28th mega-program at Remington Park produced not one, but two, new No. 1-ranked horses in the latest AQHA Racing.com-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 polls. Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner High Rate of Return zoomed to the top of the rankings for 2-year-olds, while Rylees Boy registered a sharp Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) score and the top position in the poll for older horses.

Rylees Boy handled one of the strongest fields ever assembled and did it by holding off the late charge of last week’s No. 1-ranked runner Louisiana Senator, who was flying late but came up a head short in defeat. Pollsters rewarded Louisiana Senator with a No. 2 ranking this week. Third-place finisher Streakin Down earned the No. 9 national ranking for his efforts. The Invitational included four of the top seven-ranked horses in the national poll last week and lived up to its billing. Former world champions Freaky and Stolis Winner finished fourth and fifth, respectively, underscoring the race’s quality, which featured the earners of more than $7.1 million lifetime.

The rankings for older horses also got a solid jolt when last year’s All American Futurity presented by Sentient Jet (G1) runner-up and beaten favorite JLS Mr. Bigtime made his 2011 debut in the poll at No. 5. The Louisiana-bred tallied the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Derby (RG2) by a head on Saturday as the odds-on choice in his first finals appearance of the season. Another 3-year-old who debuted this week in the poll for older horses was Heritage Place Derby (G2) upsetter Capo De Capi, who knocked off stablemate Freighttrain B in Saturday’s final and was rewarded with a No. 8 national ranking.

Undefeated now in three starts, the 2-year-old High Rate Of Return made a successful transition into stakes company for the first time when the Ed Hardy trainee led every call of the $1,029,950 Heritage Place Futurity. He knocked off former No. 1-ranked Mighty B Valiant by a comfortable half-length, denying the Remington Park Futurity winner a sweep of the meet’s two premier juvenile finals. Mighty B Valiant held second in the rankings this week. The 2-year-old rankings figure to get another seismic shift a week from Sunday in the June 12 final for the Ruidoso Futurity (G1), led by fastest qualifier Fly First Down.

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS:

1.  HIGH RATE OF RETURN (88)
2.   MIGHTY B VALIANT (82)
3.   SEPARATE FIRE (73)
4.   VALIANT WAR HERO (64)
5.   ADOLPH TRES KNOCKOUT (49)
6.   JESS TEE OFF (42)
7.   JLS PARTY WAGON (32)
T8. TOAST TO PATRIOT (14)
T8. OSBALDO (14)
10. PANDORUM (13)

Fly First Down (9), Ranch Candy (7), Fixin To Fly (4), Get Gone Gol (3), DM Strait Up (3), Jessalittlecourage (2), Preacher James (2), Massima (1)

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP:

1.   RYLEES BOY (88)
2.   LOUISIANA SENATOR (80)
3.   GOOD REASON SA (81)
4.   PROSPECT TO THE TOP (50)
5.   JLS MR BIGTIME (38)
6.   THE LOUISIANA CARTEL (32)
7.   FREIGHTTRAIN B (26)
8.   CAPO DE CAPI (23)
9.   STREAKIN DOWN (19)
10. STYLISH JESS BR (17)

Stolis Winner (16), Giorgino (10), Fredaville (6), Mark It Famous (6), Strike It Quick (6), A Tincup Cocktail (5), PK Fire (2), Texas Icon (2), De Passem Okey (1)

The nine voters are:

Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper)
Martha Claussen (Q-Racing Ace, writer/handicapper)
Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper)
Tom Dawson (Q-Racing Ace, network television producer)
Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper)
Jerry Shottenkirk (Q-Racing Ace, oddsmaker)
Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor)
Terry Turrell (Horseplayernow.com handicapper)
Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA)

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104