Quarter Horse Racing Action

The first All American Futurity was held at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico in 1959. It is a horse racing event for Quarter Horses and today carries a purse of $1.9 million, much more than the $129 686 it started with. It is the richest Quarter Horse racing event on the calendar and thousands of fans clamor for a seat to watch these magnificently powerful Quarter Horses perform. It has been referred to as horse drag racing, as the race is over in a few seconds, and has the excitement and thrill of any other speed related sport. On Monday, 1 September 2008, a full field of mighty beasts shook the starting gates as they broke away for the 2008 All American Futurity.

Quarter Horses are known as the kings and queens of the 440 yard races, as no other horse is able to cover the distance faster than they can. Because of the phenomenal ability conquer these quarter-of-a-mile racing events, they became known as Quarter Horses. Reaching speeds of approximately fifty miles an hour, they are excellent racehorses. Their physical strength, intelligence and temperament make them diverse enough to excel in other activities such as showing or ranching.

On Labor Day, ten Quarter Horses were ready to pound the earth at break-neck speed to compete for the champion title of the All American Futurity. The horses that qualified for the event were Iamasurebet, Burner On, Jet Black Patriot, Mighty Corona, Calif Fugitive, Stolis Winner, This Wager is Hot, Jess Significant, Winners Version and Jess Zoomin, with the undefeated Jet Black Patriot being one of the favorites for the race.

As the starting gates swung open and the ground began to vibrate under the massive racing machines, it was clear that the battle for first place was going to be between Stolis Winner and Jet Black Patriot. Both remained together for the first two hundred yards, but over the last stretch, Stolis Winner gained momentum and thrust forward to beat Jet Black Patriot to the wire by a length. Jess Zooming finished in third position, after a bumpy start, but managed to fight back to get to the wire in the placings. Stolis Winner won his seventh career start of eight and earned his owner, Jerry Windham, $1 million.