Ratification wins Rainbow Oaks by a head

The 3-year-old filly Ratification is peaking at the perfect time this summer at Ruidoso Downs.

Ratification won her third consecutive start, and first stakes, in Saturday’s $315,739 Rainbow Oaks for 3-year-old Quarter Horse fillies. This was the first running of the Rainbow Oaks, a race created to provide a lucrative stakes for fillies instead of forcing them to race against males in the Rainbow Derby, which was also run on Saturday.

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Ridden by Esgar Ramirez, Ratification ($17.80) won by head lengths over 20-1 Valiant Astica despite drifting to the outside through the final 200 yards of the 440-yard race. Ratification, who broke from post 2, was timed in 21.54 seconds.

Valiant Astica, who broke from post 7, ran an exceptional race after a good start to finish 1 1/2 lengths in front of third-place finisher Southern Wagon (3-1).

Fernweh, the 1-2 favorite, finished fourth, and was disqualified and placed last of nine for causing interference with about 100 yards remaining.

Fernweh was with the leaders for the first 200 yards, but faded from contention when she drifted toward the outside from post 4, hampering 47-1 Jess Find Me, who was forced to alter course.

The Rainbow Oaks was the first loss for Fernweh in her sixth start. She won the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity in June 2019.

Ratification, by Apollitical Jess, is trained by John Buchanan for owner and breeder Bobby Cox. A winner of 5 of 11 starts and $198,689, Ratification was seventh in the Rainbow Futurity last summer. Earlier this year, Ratification won a division of the Ruidoso Derby trials, but did not run fast enough to earn a place in the final.

That was not an issue in the Rainbow Oaks trials on July 5. Ratification won a division of the trials in 21.29 seconds, setting the fastest qualifying time for Saturday’s final.