RAINBOW DERBY TRIALS ON 7 7 07

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Track Record holder Separate Bet will contest the Rainbow Derby trials on Saturday
Photo by Bill Pitt, Jr.


Rainbow Derby Trials, Campbell Show Top Entertaining Day at Ruidoso




RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 4, 2007—The three trials to the Grade 1, $445,000 (est.) Rainbow Derby, the richest Rainbow Derby in 20 years, and a concert by country legend Glen Campbell highlight the most entertaining day of the 60-date Ruidoso Downs summer racing season on Saturday.
First post time for the 10-race card is 1:00 p.m. with the 440-yard Rainbow Derby trials running as the seventh through ninth races. There is free parking and free grandstand admission.

The Glen Campbell concert starts at 8:00 p.m. and tickets are still available at the Ruidoso Downs ticket office.

Also on Saturday is the “Luckiest Day of the Century” promotion at the Billy The Kid Casino and a competitive – and probably hilarious 50-yard race among the jockeys to raise money for the Don MacBeth Fund.

The Rainbow Derby trials attracted La Lalique and Separate Bet from the Paul Jones barn.

La Lalique has finished on the board in each of her eight career starts and comes off her most profitable performance, a second-place run as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby. The Corona Cartel filly sprinted to the lead and was caught near the wire by another Corona Cartel filly, Remember Me Rose, who passed the Rainbow Derby trials and is pointing to the All American Derby trials.

La Lalique has the inside post position in the first trial with Freddie Martinez up.

Separate Bet stunned Quarter Horse racing when he returned from a winter’s rest to break the Ruidoso Downs’ 400-yard track record with a :19.18 time in an allowance race on June 15. Last year, he won the Rainbow Juvenile and qualified for the finals of the All American Futurity.

The Separatist gelding starts from the second post position in the third trial with Martinez riding.

Valiant Hero, a $500,000 sale topper at the 2005 Ruidoso Select Quarter Horse Yearling Sale, has earned nearly $570,000 with wins in the Grade 1, $1 million Texas Classic Futurity and the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby.

Defending national champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr. rides the First Down Dash colt with the third post position in the first trial.

Okey Dokey Fantasy makes his 3-year-old debut after winning nine of 11 juvenile starts, highlighted by a dead-heat win in the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity and a second in the Southwest Juvenile Championship.

The son of Okey Dokey Dale has the sixth post position in the third trial and Juan Vasquez aboard.

Don’t miss race 3 1/2 today when the jockeys leave their horses in their stalls and race each other over 50 yards for a most worthwhile cause, the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund that assists disabled riders. Jockeys risk injury even death each time they bring a horse on any track and this great cause helps riders who need your help. Jockeys will have a table in front of the Finish Line Gift shop and will be selling autographed hats for $10 each. Buy a bunch of hats for a great cause!

Glen Campbell takes to the Ruidoso Downs stage for a memorable concert under the stars. Campbell is an American music legend known for such classics as “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Gentle on My Mind” and “ Galveston .” During his 40 years in show business, Campbell has released more than 70 albums, sold 45-million records and racked up 12 gold albums, four platinum albums and one double-platinum album.

Saturday is also the “Luckiest Day of the Century” (7/7/07) – in the Billy The Kid Casino when Cash Club members have the opportunity to become the luckiest person of the century. Until 7 p.m., patrons can win double jackpots up to $777 (max coin bet with Cash Club card inserted required).

Also, win a jackpot on any slot machine and it will pay double, up to $777.

After the Glen Campbell concert, which starts at 8 p.m., come to the casino for the opportunity to take home $777 in cash. The drawing is open to anyone 21 years of age or older, but you must be present for the 10:30 p.m. drawing to win. Pick up your entry slip at the Cash Club booth beginning at 7 p.m.

Glad Okey Dokey made it - I'm thrilled they are running him this year - it would have been a shame to have him go straight to the breeding shed!

okey dokey fantasy and gus the greek, will have a shake to see who gets in the derby. They are suppose to do the shake in the racing office at the track. So we will know soon who of the two will get in the race.

Okey Dokey Fantasy got it!!

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Okey Dokey Fantasy Joins Rich Rainbow Derby Field


RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 8, 2007—Okey Dokey Fantasy, who tied for the 10th and final qualifying time to the Grade 1, $447,230 Rainbow Derby won the shake over Gus The Greek on Sunday morning at Ruidoso Downs and is eligible to compete in the July 21 440-yard finals.
Okey Dokey Fantasy and Gus The Greek each raced 440 yards in :21.577 in their respective trials on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

The Okey Dokey Dale colt made his return to racing after a 7-month layoff. Last year, he was one of the nation’s premier juveniles when he won nine of 11 starts and earned $544,429. He finished in a dead heat for the win in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity and was second in the Grade 1, $300,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship behind Ruidoso Derby winner Remember Me Rose. He also won the Manor Downs Futurity and the Longhorn Futurity. He started his career with eight consecutive victories.

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Valiant Hero and G.R. Carter, Jr. setting the
fastest time in the Rainbow Derby trials.
Photo by Bill Pitt, Jr.



Valiant Hero Tops Deep Field In Richest Rainbow Derby Since ‘87


RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 7, 2007—The richest Rainbow Derby since champion Florentine won in 1987 will be headed by Valiant Hero after he easily set the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1, $447,230 finals on Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.
The 10 fastest qualifiers from the three trials return for the rich 440-yard finals on July 21. The Rainbow Derby projects to be the third-richest derby of 2007 behind the Los Alamitos Super Derby and the All American Derby, which will be contested at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 2.

Valiant Hero dominated a deep first trial when he pulled away to a one-and-one-half length win in 21.129 for his seventh win from 11 career starts. The $500,000 yearling purchase at the 2005 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale started his current 4-race winning streak with a win in the Grade 1, $1 million Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park on Dec. 2 and won the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park in his start prior to the Rainbow Derby trials.

The strapping First Down Dash colt from the Mike Joiner barn has earned $571,000 and will be favored to win the $223,000 first-place check in the Rainbow Derby finals.

“He broke well and I went after him left handed to get him going,” said Valiant Hero’s jockey G.R. Carter Jr. “We just coasted home”

The Crawfish, a son of Mr Jess Perry and one of five qualifiers from the Paul Jones stable, finished second to Valiant Hero and has the second-fastest qualifying time of :21.223.

Separate Bet, coming off a track-record setting allowance victory, could be the horse to step forward and challenge Valiant Hero in the Rainbow Derby. The Paul Jones trainee rolled to a two-and-a-quarter length victory in the third trial with a :21.228 time.

“He’s such a nice horse,” said jockey Freddie Martinez. “He just went on with it.”

Separate Bet, a gelded son of Separatist and a finalist in last year’s Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity, returned from a winter’s rest to win a Ruidoso Downs’ 400-yard allowance race in :19.18, establishing the track record.

Rounding out the five horses from the Jones barn are Ruidoso Derby runner-up La Lalique, Ruidoso Derby fourth-place finisher Twoforthedough and Ruidoso Derby finalist Already Rude.

There will be a shake for the 10th and final qualifying spot on Sunday morning in the Ruidoso Downs’ racing office between Okey Dokey Fantasy and Gus The Greek. They were each timed in :21.577 in their trials.

Yeh - I noticed about the shake when I looked at Stallionesearch - hehe, looks like thinking possitive does have some rewards

It should be interesting to see how it pans out!!!