Highly Lethal V sets track record in Ruidoso Futurity win

Highly Lethal V turned a strong trial into a statement win Sunday at The Downs at Albuquerque, sweeping past the field in the $1 million Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity and stopping the clock in 16.886 seconds for 350 yards. The Oklahoma-bred gelding, already the fastest qualifier from the second day of trials on May 23, won by a length and broke the old course mark of 16.92 seconds set by Apolliperfection in 2019.

That combination of qualifying speed and final-round acceleration made the result bigger than a purse victory. The Ruidoso Futurity is the first leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown for 2-year-olds, so a track-record performance in that setting immediately lifts a colt into the center of the division conversation. Highly Lethal V was not just quick enough to advance from the five-fastest-times-from-each-day format. He was sharper when it mattered most.

The winner is an Oklahoma-bred Quarter Horse gelding foaled Feb. 1, 2024, by Apollitical Jess out of Lethal Class by Tres Seis. He ran for Valeriano Racing Stables LLC, with Francisco Calderon aboard and Raymond G. Valerio training. For a horse that had already shown his speed in the trials, the final confirmed that the form was real and that he still had another gear under pressure.

The victory carried milestone weight for everyone involved. Valerio, who has trained for more than 30 years, earned his first Grade 1 win. Calderon added another line to an already deep résumé, with the ride lifting him past 1,100 career wins and more than $31 million in earnings. In a race that often sorts the fastest young horses from the ones that can keep improving, Highly Lethal V left with the clearest possible answer.

The Ruidoso Futurity’s move to Albuquerque did nothing to dull the significance of the result. If anything, the setting made the performance stand out even more, because the record came in the richest and most important juvenile Quarter Horse race on the calendar. Highly Lethal V looked like a horse who did more than dominate one afternoon. He looked like the early standard for the class.