The All-American Futurity, Quarter Horse Racing's Kentucky Derby

Mission Viejo, CA--Even the great Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens tried to outrun them—and couldn´t. They´re so muscular Mr. Universe would envy their ripped bodies. If they clomped into a bar the outlaws would run for cover. An Australian rider called them "monsters."

Rightfully so.

When they explode from the starting gate with more thrust than Apollo rockets, all hell breaks loose. The ground winces in pain. Holding on for dear life, the riders pitch-and-roll like hapless sailors aboard storm-tossed ships.

"They" are the world´s fastest equine athletes--Quarter Horses, masters of the 440-yard distance, who´ll be lighting their afterburners in one of the world´s richest and most exciting horse races at Ruidoso Downs Race Track on Labor Day.

With more than $2 million up for grabs in the All- American Futurity--Quarter Horse racing´s version of the Kentucky Derby--the dirt will be flying when these mighty equine dragsters thunder down the track.

Held in Ruidoso, New Mexico, the All-American attracts widespread media and television coverage. More than 16,000 racing fans watched the equine fireworks in 2006, with hundreds of thousands of dollars wagered on the contest. In the 1959 inaugural race, a chestnut filly named Galobar, who went off at odds of 7-2, sprinted to victory, earning a meaty slice of the $129,686 purse.

This year, one fortunate owner will become an instant millionaire. One fortunate jockey will pocket a cool hundred grand--for less than 22 seconds of work. That´s $4,545 per second.

Clocked at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour, the versatile, hard-working Quarter Horse is a unique American breed—not only a speed demon on the track, but equally capable of working expertly on the ranch or in the show arena.

In fact, some equine historians claim that the animal represents the first native breed in the U.S., tracing back to genetic crosses between Spanish and Indian horses. Early American colonists used these horses for competitive match racing--one-on-one contests involving short races down village streets, country lanes, or pastures. Because of their special talent for sprinting a quarter-of-a-mile (440 yards), they were named "Quarter Horses."

According to the American Quarter Horse Association, the first recorded match race took place in 1672 in Virginia. The colonists not only bet on these contests, but also often fought over the financial ramifications, with some owners refusing to pay up after a loss. Apparently many arrests were made.

In California, "official" Quarter Horse racing began in 1947 when Frank Vessels, a wealthy contractor who also enjoyed good match races at his 435-acre ranch in Los Alamitos, carded a six-race program attended by 2,000 fans. The races became so popular that Vessels started holding them every Sunday. In 1949, the California legislature passed a new law permitting major tracks to add Quarter Horse races to their programs, and a year later the California Horse Racing Board approved an 11-day season to begin Dec. 4, 1951.

Preparations for the first-ever all-Quarter Horse pari-mutuel meet now began in earnest on Vessels´ ranch. The track´s surface was improved, and Vessels installed electric timing and photo-finish equipment. The old bleachers were expanded to seat more than 4,500 customers. To house more than 400 horses shipping in from Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma, barns also had to be constructed. Opening day drew 4,123 racing fans to Vessels´ track, with $94,154 being wagered on the races, according to the AQHA.

What makes Quarter Horse races so special?

D. Wayne Lukas, the legendary Thoroughbred trainer who actually began his training career at Los Alamitos Race Course, believes that Quarter Horse racing´s more intense than Thoroughbred racing—because there´s only a beginning and an end, no boring middle.

Indeed, the races flash by so quickly that startled fans often wonder, "What happened? Who won?" The finish line´s a blur.

The starting gate shakes and rattles when these half-ton athletes with turbocharged buttocks blast off, their forelegs often crumpling with their first steps. Explosive power. Then the distant low rumble of oncoming hooves soon becomes a thunderous clamor, and the ground literally shakes when they streak by you. Pounding the ground. Dirt clods flying. Manes streaming.

(Steve Sharp is the author of "Fast Horses, Fast Money: The Complete Guide to Quarter Horse Racing," the first comprehensive wagering/handicapping guide to link new research on winning racehorses with betting and handicapping strategies. His work on Quarter Horse racing has also appeared in "Bridle and Bit," stallionesearch.com, "The Indiana Quarter Horse Journal," and "The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal.")