On Thursday evening all of the connections to the horses that qualified to the All American Futurity, the All American Derby and the All American Oaks were honored at a Qualifiers Dinner in the Turf Club at Ruidoso Downs. The guests were served cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before the Master of Ceremonies, Tom Dawson, welcomed everyone and announced that dinner was ready on the buffet line. Fried fish fillets, pork tenderloin and prime rib topped the menu, along with salad, vegetables, and desserts.

Videos of the All American trials that produced the qualifiers were shown, and Tom Dawson moved from table to table interviewing the connections of this weekend’s big stakes races.  The evening concluded with a video of Special Effort’s All American Triple Crown victories in remembrance of the 40th anniversary of this unequalled accomplishment.

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