Apocalyptical Jess Wins All American Futurity

09/03/2018..RUIDOSO DOWNS, New Mexico — Bill Robbins’ Apocalyptical Jess gave trainer Blane Wood his first win in the Grade 1, $3,000,000 All American Futurity and Wood now joins his father Leo as the only father-son pair to win the All American Futurity.
Leo Wood won the 1979 All American Futurity with Dan and Jolene Urschel’s Pie In The Sky. A young Blane helped his father.
In the $200,000 All American Juvenile on the undercard, Danjer played with his rivals to score an easy win. The 440-yard All American Juvenile is for horses who did not qualify for the All American Futurity.
Raul Ramirez Jr. guided Apocalyptical Jess over the 440 yards in :21.393 to take the 60th running of quarter horse racing’s showcase event.
Racing out of the second post position, Apocalyptical Jess ran with the early leaders and then edged away from his rivals to get the win by one-half length over Valeriano Racing Stables LLC’s homebred Im Jess Special V. David Valdez and Byron Woodard’s New Mexico-bred No Mires A La Luna was another nose back for third.
“It’s more than I hoped for,” said a teary Wood while holding his granddaughter in the winner’s circle. “We’ve been trying to do this for a long time. It’s the whole team.”
The entire Wood family, including Blane’s wife Sandy and their son Trey, are the foundation of the Wood team. “Everybody who works with us does such an incredible job. Everybody.” said Wood.
Trey Wood is already an accomplished trainer of Grade 1 winners and could well win the All American Futurity one Labor Day. That would make three generations of the Wood family winning the All American Futurity.
Apocalyptical Jess has developed throughout the summer at Ruidoso Downs. He ran a green first race in his Ruidoso Futurity trial and then put on a show in his Rainbow Futurity trial. The gelding by Apollitical Jess had a poor start and the rallied around horses to charge for a runner-up finish, beaten by only a neck. That race marked him as a solid All American Futurity prospect.
In his All American Futurity trial, Apocalyptical Jess blazed down the inside of the track to win by a dominating three-and-one-quarter lengths. His time of :21.349 for the 440 yards was the fastest time from the first of two days of All American Futurity trials and set him up as the 5-2 second choice in the wagering.
Apocalyptical Jess will likely be rested until racing next summer at Ruidoso Downs, according to Blane Wood.
Mm Fourinthemorning was the 7-5 favorite and finished fifth.
Im Jess Special V has been dangerous all summer for trainer Toby Keeton. The Jess Lips-sired gelding was fifth in the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity and was second in his All American Futurity trial with the third-fastest time on the first day of trials.
Agustin Silva was aboard Im Jess Special V.
A gelding by First Moonflash, No Mires a La Luna is still a maiden, however has been successful for trainer Trey Ellis. He was a close third in the $346,000 Mountain Top Futurity against New Mexico-breds.
No Mire a La Luna was the fourth-fastest qualifier on the second day of trials.
Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo rode No Mires a La Luna in the All American Futurity.

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The Dean Frey-owned, -trained and -bred Danjer blasted to the lead in the All American Juvenile and then was confidently ridden by the hot Cody Jensen to an easy win in :21.158 for the 440 yards.
On Saturday, Jensen won the Grade 1, $1,200,000 All American Derby and the Grade 1, $200,000 All American Gold Cup.
The Fdd Dynasty-sired Danjer defeated Midnite Blu by two-and-one-half lengths and it was another head back to third-place finisher Jess B Glory.
Danjer showed that he is a gelding with a big upside. He did not win his maiden until his third start, a maiden race at Canterbury Park. He was brought to Ruidoso Downs for the All American Futurity trials and he quickly showed that he belonged with the best two-year-olds at the track. He had a bump at the start of his All American Futurity trial and still won by one-and-three-quarter lengths.
After Danjer won the All American Juvenile is was announced that Pat Guthrie and Billy Smith have purchased part of the gelding and he will be supplemented to the Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park.
Too For Two’s Midnite Blu, a gelding by First Moonflash, was second in the $410,000 Zia Futurity against New Mexico-breds and then a close second in his All American Futurity trial.
Midnite Blu is trained by Wes Giles and G.R. Carter Jr. was aboard.
Bud Hill’s Jess B Glory won her maiden in June and then was second in both her Rainbow Futurity and All American Futurity trials. The Mr Jess Perry-sired filly was ridden by Jimmy Dean Brooks for trainer Eddie Willis.