Sun Downs final day
Yearout: Kennewick track to honor late trainier
Melton: A master in training
Melton's horses in $2 million Futurity
Kennewick trainer Lin Melton last had a horse in the All American Futurity in 1989.
Imagine his excitement today as two of his horses will compete in the 44th version of quarter horse racing's richest race in the world at Ruidoso Downs, N.M.
Total prize money today is $2 million, with $1 million going to the winner.
Melton will have unbeaten Meteoric and Flys R Streakin racing in the event. Both horses are owned by the Dutch Masters III group, which has raced horses the past few springs at Sun Downs in Kennewick.
Meteoric, which will be ridden by Kennewick jockey Clark Jones, qualified for this year's All-American Juvenile Challenge by winning a race at Sun Downs. But Melton pulled the horse from the Juvenile Challenge to focus on the Futurity trials.
"This is the toughest race in the world," Melton said of the 440-yard sprint. "Meteoric has never seen this kind of field. He's better than he was in May, though."
Melton and the Dutch Masters III have figured that no matter what happens today, it should be a great payday.
"Every horse gets a piece of the purse," Melton said. "Even if we should finish ninth and 10th in a worst-case scenario, the worst payday we can have is $135,000. Last place gets like $52,000."
Flys R Streakin will be ridden by California jockey Sam Thompson, who also rode at Sun Downs this year.
Another Kennewick rider, Jay Conklin, also will be involved in today's race when he rides Ab What A Runner, a filly who had the fastest time of the trials at 20.99 seconds.
Meanwhile, Melton had a third horse, Oxygen, run in Sunday's All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs.
The horse was ridden by Thompson and was bumped on both sides coming out of the seventh post position at the gate. He never recovered and finished eighth out of nine horses for a take-home of $4,407.
Genuine Strawfly won the race and the $110,198 first-place money.