Rainbow Futurity, Derby, and Oaks trials focus of the weekend
There will be no sweep of the Ruidoso Triple Crown for 2-year-olds this year.
Otts Boy, the winner of the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity on June 12, was not entered in time trials for the Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on Friday and Saturday. Owner and breeder Luke Goebel said on Monday that Otts Boy was held out of the Rainbow Futurity trials to prepare for the third race in the series, the $3 million All American Futurity which has time trials on Aug. 19-20 and a final on Sept. 5.
Otts Boy, trained by Toby Keeton, is unbeaten in three starts.
“We’re trying to save him and not have a problem and try to win the All American,” Goebel said. “They galloped him Sunday, so he’s good. Toby said he’s 110 percent and he wants him 150 percent.”
The Keeton-trained Getthere Fast, second in the Ruidoso Futurity, is entered in the ninth race on Saturday, and is one of the leading contenders to qualify for the Rainbow Futurity. There are 17 400-yard time trials on Friday and Saturday. The runners with the five-fastest times each day advance to the final on July 24.
Hes Judgeandjury, third in the Ruidoso Futurity; Muy Bien Corona, third in the Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos in May; and Relentless Scorpion, the winner of the Laico Bird Stakes at Remington Park on April 16, are other notable runners on Friday.
The well-regarded Rock a Jess V, who won the Ruidoso Juvenile on June 12, starts in the sixth race on Saturday. The Ruidoso Juvenile was the consolation of the Ruidoso Futurity. Rock a Jess V will be tested by Cartel Kisses, who won the Easy Jet Stakes at Remington Park on May 28.
Powerful, sixth in the Ruidoso Futurity, runs in Saturday’s seventh race, while Chasing Aj, fifth in the Ruidoso Futurity as the 2-1 favorite, starts in the final trial.
Sunday’s program has four trials for the Rainbow Oaks for 3-year-old fillies and eight trials for the Rainbow Derby. Those races are run at 440 yards, the Quarter Horse classic distance. The 10 fastest times for each set of trials advance to the final on July 23.
Kiss the Cartel and Mperative, third and fourth in the Ruidoso Derby on June 11, start in the third Rainbow Oaks trial. The final division is led by Jess Dream of Me, who was third in the Los Alamitos Oaks in March, and Jess Dealin, who was seventh in the All American Futurity last September.
Kj Desparado, winner of the All American Futurity and the Ruidoso Derby last month, will be a standout favorite in Sunday’s sixth race, the second division of the Rainbow Derby trials.
The toughest trial is the seventh race, led by Jess Savin Candy, the winner of the Ruidoso and Rainbow futurities last year and the champion 2-year-old gelding and overall champion 2-year-old of 2021.
:: Get ready for Saratoga and Del Mar with a Quarterly subscription to DRF Past Performances
Jess Savin Candy was fourth in the All American Futurity, missing a chance to sweep the Triple Crown. Jess Savin Candy was later diagnosed with a leg injury that required surgery and kept him out of the leading races of the fall. He returned to racing for the Ruidoso Derby trials on May 29, but did not qualify for the final despite a win.
For Sunday’s race, Jess Savin Candy will not wear blinkers for the first time. Trainer John Stinebaugh said on Monday he was concerned that Jess Savin Candy drifted to the inside in the Ruidoso Derby trial, and has opted for no blinkers to give the gelding better vision, particularly if jockey Francisco Calderon is using his whip.
“It’s 1,300 pounds against 110 pounds,” Stinebaugh said. “He pulls on you and he’s big and strong. When he gets into that bit, he’s pulling.”
On June 23, Jess Savin Candy breezed 330 yards in 16.72 seconds without blinkers. Stinebaugh had Jess Savin Candy start from post 10 that day, which, coincidentally, is his starting post on Sunday.
“I put him in the 10 hole and worked him outside where the track is the best,” Stinebaugh said. “That’s the most he’s ever wanted to run. He worked straight as a string.”