Four-race win streaks on the line

Jess Botticelli and Bluemoonteller will both be chasing after a fifth straight win Monday when they meet in the $40,000 John Andreini Memorial for Quarter Horses at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

The race is for 3-year-olds and up at 350 yards. It honors the prominent breeder and owner who died in 2018 at the age of 90. Andreini also was a co-owner of Ruidoso.

The 12-race card Monday also features an entry-level allowance for Thoroughbreds that drew stakes winner Evacuee. First post is 1 p.m. Mountain.

The Andreini drew a full field of 10, with New News expected to vie for favoritism off a win

in the Grade 3 Rio Grande on March 1 at Sunland Park.

Jess Botticelli made his last stakes appearance in the 2019 running of the Rio Grande, finishing sixth by a length. In more recent times, he’s reeled off four straight wins in a streak that started in August in a $12,500 claiming race at 350 yards at the Downs at Albuquerque. Jess Botticelli then won an optional $15,000 claiming race at the same track and distance Sept. 1 before moving on to Zia Park and winning a pair of optional $35,000 claiming races in November and December.

Jess Botticelli has won the races during his streak from both on and off the pace. Jose Ruiz, who was aboard for his wins at Zia, has the mount from post 7. Ivan Tafoya trains Jess Botticelli for Olaya Munoz Durate.

Bluemoonteller won the $16,000 Golden Driller last June at Fair Meadows to launch his streak. He added two more allowance wins at the Tulsa, Okla., track in July before wrapping up his season with an additional allowance win Sept. 20 at Will Rogers Downs. The horses who ran second and fourth to Bluemoonteller both returned to win a trial race at Will Rogers.

As for Bluemoonteller, he has been training at Remington Park. Jerry Lee Yoakum has the mount from post 9 for Three Bar T Quarter Horses and trainer Toby Keeton.

Jess Botticelli and Bluemoonteller will both be making their first start at Ruidoso, where Bluemoonteller’s sire, Teller Cartel, won the Grade 1 All American Futurity.

Also in the Andreini field Monday is Consigliere, who is a son of the multiple Grade 1-winning mare Separate Fire. Separate Fire ran out $631,250.

Evacuee is cutting back to one turn for the entry-level allowance for horses bred in New Mexico. His stakes win came at the configuration, when he won his maiden in last year’s $196,000 New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity at six furlongs at the Downs at Albuquerque.