Texas Classic Futurity Trials This Weekend at Lone Star Park

Duponte, winner of the Heritage Place Futurity, will run Saturday night at Lone Star Park

There is a lot on the line this weekend at Lone Star Park. The Grand Prairie, Texas racetrack will host two nights of trials for Grade 1 stakes. There will be five trials on Friday, October 21 for the $400,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1). On Saturday, October 22, Lone Star Park will host 12 trials for the richest race in the Lone Star State, the $1 million Texas Classic Futurity (G1).

Trainer Trey Wood has won the Texas Classic Futurity three times, scoring with Bodacious Dash in 2010, 2014 with Torts On Fire and last year with Tres Friends. He and his crew will be very busy Saturday evening as they have 18 juveniles running. His first call rider, Ricky Ramirez, who was honored as 2015 AQHA Champion Jockey, will have mounts in each of the 400 yard trials.

Several of the top 2-year-olds in the country are entered, including Duponte, who won both the $268,000 Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity (G3) at Louisiana Downs and $1.1 million Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park. Bred by Bobby Cox, Duponte is trained by Josue Ponce and will be ridden in the eleventh trial Saturday night by Manuel Gutierrez.

The connections of Tres Friends in the winner''s circle after last year's Texas Classic Futurity victory

Judd Kearl, currently the leading AQHA trainer, will saddle ten promising 2-year-olds in Saturday's Texas Classic Futurity trials.

On Friday night, Lone Star Park will run five trials for the Texas Classic Derby, with One Fabulous Eagle, Volcom Bay, Bv Midnite Express, Nucky, Valiant Rogue and last year's Texas Classic Futurity champion, Tres Friends among the noted 3-year-olds entered.

Post time is 6:35 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22. The 10 fastest qualifiers will return on Saturday, November 12 for the Texas Classic Derby and Texas Classic Futurity final, which is closing night for the 2016 Quarter Horse live racing season.