(Saturday, November 12, 2005) - The Heath Taylor-trained Automatically remained unbeaten in three starts and is the likely favorite for the $1 million Texas Classic Futurity on Nov. 26 after clocking 400 yards Saturday in :19.882 - the third fastest time in 13 trial races at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

"And he didn't get away too good," said Automatically's regular rider Gilbert Ortiz.

Michael Pohl's Lazy E Futurity winner and Rainbow Futurity runner-up Pyc Paint Your Wagon - a Jack Brooks trainee ridden by Jacky Martin - was the fastest qualifier on the night with a quick time of :19.804 in final heat. Meanwhile, Memories On the Run, owned by Eusevio Huitron and trained by Frank Ramirez, posted a time of 19.853 in the sixth race.

But undefeated Automatically's credentials and high-profile connections will probably lead to favoritism in the Grade 1 final in two weeks.

A total of 120 two-year-old American Quarter Horses competed in the trials. The 10 fastest times advanced to the final, which is annually the richest horse race in Texas and features a $434,478 first prize. The finalists are Pyc Paint Your Wagon, Memories On the Run; Automatically; Real Visions (:19.898); Brindis Por Cayenne (:19.930); Exclusive Corona (:19.969); Vodka On Ice (:19.969); Enticilizeur (:20.031); Ja Fast Lady (:20.061); and Mr Perry To You (:20.070).

Highly regarded Automatically, a Streakin La Jolla gelding owned by Teddy Abrams Jr. of Houston, remained undefeated with a powerful 1 ¼-length victory over Crazy About Corona in the night's second trial.

"With the exception of the slow start, he ran super," Ortiz said. "We were beat about a head or neck out of the gate. I got after him left-handed and then he got away from them real quick.

"This horse has always showed promise, but he's had to overcome some problems. He dealt with a shin problem after his maiden win at Delta (in June) and then they laid him up for the All American trials."

In the Aug. 18 All American Futurity trials at New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs, Automatically had the fastest 440-yard time of :21.511 into a 5 mph headwind through the first 10 of 16 trials. That day, he easily handled Pyc Paint Your Wagon by 1 ¼ lengths. But after the 10th race, the wind died then quickly shifted to a 10 mph tailwind.

"If it wasn't for that wind shift, he would have been in the finals," claimed Ortiz. Slowly but surely, Automatically's time slid down and out of the Top 10 and settled at No. 11 - just 16-hundredths of a second from a chance at Quarter Horse racing's coveted $1.9 million All American.

There were no major wind shifts Saturday at Lone Star - mainly a 10 mph headwind - and Automatically will get his chance at a big payday in two weeks.

Pyc Paint Your Wagon, a 2-year-old Corona Cartel homebred colt, won for the second time in seven career starts and improved his bankroll to $171,542. Meanwhile, Memories On the Run qualified to his second Grade 1 race of the year. In June, he finished third in the Retama Park Futurity in San Antonio. Overall, the 2-year-old Leaving Memories gelding has won three of eight starts and $41,008.

DOWN THE STRETCH - Dash For Cash Futurity winner All American Winner failed to qualify after a slow start in the night's fifth trial. He rallied late to finish second, a neck back of winner Real Visions with a time of :20.104...The prize money in the Texas Classic Futurity will be distributed as follows: $434,478 (first); $215,437 (second); $107,718 (third); $53,859 (fourth); $43,087 (fifth); $32,316 (sixth); and $29,623 (seventh through 10th)...The horses that finished No. 11-20 in the time trials are eligible to compete in an $80,789 consolation, also on Nov. 26. Those horses are Azoomer (:20.078); Cotton Nash (:20.078); Shazoomer (:20.079); MJP Loop (:20.082); Silver Gol (:20.082); Sis B Gol (:20.084); Copacorona Special (:20.094); Heza Caliente Hombre (:20.098); Streakin Graffiti (:20.098); and Boknaai (:20.102)...The consolation prize money: $21,544 (first); $18,851 (second); $16,158 (third); $13,465 (fourth); and $10,772 (fifth)...Live racing at Lone Star resumes Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT...Only seven live racing dates remain. Closing day is Sunday, Nov. 27 - the only 1:35 p.m. CT matinee program of the meeting...Two stakes events highlight the upcoming week's action. On Friday, fillies and mares will dash 400 yards in the $20,000 Kool Kue Baby Handicap. Saturday's featured event is the Grade 3, $20,000 Lone Star Park Distance Championship at 870 yards...Saturday's $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, a Grade I, six-furlong sprint at Laurel Park, tops the week's simulcast action. Attila's Storm and Elusive Jazz, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, are among the likely starters...Also on tap Saturday are Churchill Downs' Grade III, $150,000 Cardinal Handicap (fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf); Aqueduct's Grade III, $100,000 Stuyvesant Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles); Hollywood Park's Grade III, $100,000 Hollywood Prevue (2-year-olds at seven furlongs); Laurel's Grade III, $100,000 Laurel Futurity (2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf); opening day of the special 37-day Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs meeting; and eight stakes that comprise Stars of Texas Night at Sam Houston, including the $100,000 Star of Texas Stakes (Texas-breds at 1 1/16 miles)...Sunday's simulcast highlights are Churchill's Grade III, $150,000 River City Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf) and Aqueduct's Grade III, $100,000 Valley Stream Stakes (2-year-old fillies at six furlongs)...Wednesday is the third and final Charity Night of the meeting. Two-percent of the on-track dollars wagered Wednesday will be donated to the Texas A&M Equine Research Fund...Wednesday's fifth race is named in honor of Debra Sanchez, this week's Lone Star Park Charitable Foundation for Grand Prairie "Volunteer of the Week." For the past two years, Sanchez has volunteered as Secretary for the Grand Prairie Arts Council. Co-workers consider her and her husband Martin "invaluable to the Grand Prairie Arts Councils and its productions, volunteering and lending their helping hands at all events."