Asscher looks to remain atop the division in Rainbow Oaks

Already this year, Asscher has won the richest race of the season for 3-year-old Quarter Horse fillies in the $404,000 Los Alamitos Oaks in March.

To retain that distinction, Asscher will need another top-class effort in Sunday’s $483,394 Rainbow Oaks for fillies at Ruidoso Downs.

Asscher, trained by Marc Jungers for owners Lance Bland and Jimmy Barton, was the fastest qualifier from five delayed trials on July 7. The trials were scheduled for June 30, but a series of flash floods in late June following major fires earlier in the month damaged a portion of the racing surface, leading to the delay.

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Asscher won a division of the 440-yard trials in 21.50 seconds, pulling away by two lengths for her fifth win in 10 career starts. She will need to be equally sharp in Sunday’s final, starting from the outside post in a field of 10.

Asscher’s main rivals are trial race winners Firstchickonthemoon and Running to the Moon.

Firstchickonthemoon will have her stakes debut in the Rainbow Oaks. Trained by John Stinebaugh, Firstchickonthemoon won a division of the trials in 21.52 seconds, edging Amore for a Reason and Butterfli, who were quick enough in defeat to gain berths for the final.

Running to the Moon, trained by Heath Taylor, was the sharp winner of a trial in 21.51 seconds, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of qualifier Moon Spot. Running to the Moon was second by a neck in the $296,940 Heritage Place Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 400 yards at Remington Park on June 1 in her 2024 stakes debut.

The Rainbow Oaks is the 11th race on a 12-race program that begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern or 12:30 p.m. Mountain. The Rainbow Oaks is the richest race on a program that includes the $368,451 Zia Futurity for statebred 2-year-olds at 400 yards.

Harken, winner of the $351,484 Mountain Top Futurity for statebreds at 350 yards, is rated as a leading contender in the Zia Futurity after a trial race win on July 5. Trained by Marco Flores, Harken was timed in 19.94 seconds, setting the fourth-fastest qualifying time.

Woody Rocks set the fastest qualifying time of 19.81 seconds, winning his third consecutive start for trainer Tony Sedillo.

Harken and Woody Rocks may have a difficult time against the lightly raced gelding Kj Bad Moon Rising, who won for the first time in his career in his second start in the Zia Futurity trials.

Trained by Wes Giles, Kj Bad Moon Rising was timed in 19.89 seconds. The gelding was second in his debut in a division of the Mountain Top Futurity trials on May 31, but did not qualify for that final.

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