A Revenant poised to fulfill potential in Rainbow Futurity

A Revenant is well suited to the role of fastest qualifier and favorite for Sunday’s $1 million Rainbow Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses at Ruidoso Downs.

A Revenant is by Mr Jess Perry and out of Thewayouwantmeto, who won the 2004 Rainbow Futurity. There have been high expectations for A Revenant since he was purchased for $152,000 as a yearling at Ruidoso last summer. In his stakes debut June 12, A Revenant finished second in the Ruidoso Futurity, the first major futurity of the track’s season.

A Revenant won a division of the 400-yard Rainbow trials by a length in 19.81 seconds on July 8, the fastest qualifying time from two days of trials. The five fastest runners from each day of trials July 8-9 qualified for the final regardless of finishing position.

A Revenant bled in his trial race and was vanned off, which jockey Cody Jensen and trainer Mike Joiner said on Thursday was done largely out of precaution.

“Cody thought it’d be better than galloping him back,” Joiner said.

“He just had a little trickle of blood,” Jensen said.

Jensen qualified five of the 10 finalists for the Rainbow Futurity. All five of the runners he rode who qualified won their trial. Overall, the Rainbow Futurity field includes seven trial-race winners and three second-place finishers.

Jensen said he chose to ride A Revenant on Sunday thinking the colt has an edge over his rivals because he has had three tough starts, one or two more than several of his rivals.

“With the one extra start, I think he’s more seasoned than some of the others,” Jensen said. “He’s been the one I’ve had my eye on since his first work. I think he’s got a little bit of an advantage.”

Jensen said A Revenant matured from the Ruidoso Futurity to the Rainbow trial.

“He wasn’t quite mentally ready to win the first futurity,” Jensen said. “He wasn’t as mentally sharp as he was in his last start.”

A Revenant is the only finalist with experience in a major stakes. The colt has earned $184,800. Joiner trains A Revenant for a partnership that includes Ruidoso Downs chairman R.D. Hubbard. Joiner has four finalists, all trial-race winners, including Drinkin Class, One Famous Beau, and Ultimate Return.

“We caught a little bit of luck,” Joiner said. “Some of our colts caught the right time of day.”

The qualifying times ranged from 19.81 seconds for A Revenant to 20.02 seconds for Paint My Pilot, who is trained by Kelli Martin. Paint My Pilot was second in the Oklahoma Juvenile at Remington Park on March 26, the consolation race for the Oklahoma Futurity.