RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 25, 2010—Hall of fame jockey Jacky Martin, 55, capped his return to race riding from a 4-year absence by winning his fifth Rainbow Futurity aboard Dolores and Robert Gerhardt’s Hes To Icy For Me at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday afternoon.

The Grade 1, $625,000 Rainbow Futurity was a showdown between quarter horse racing top-two ranked 2-year-olds – American Runaway and Llano Teller – but Hes To Icy For Me prevailed by short nose over American Runaway to get the victory. Llano Teller finished seventh.

This Corona is Cold, a 16-1 outsider, was one-half length back for third.

The Carlos Sedillo-trained Hes To Icy For Me raced the 400 yards in :19.409 over the sloppy racing surface.

“This maybe better than any win I’ve had,” said Martin, who has also won a record seven All American futurities. He is a member of the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t think it would be this quick (winning a major futurity). Charlie (trainer Sedillo) gave me this opportunity when I came back. It’s a great opportunity,” Martin said.

The Rainbow Futurity was a close battle with Hes To Icy For Me in the eight post position and American Runaway in the four hole.

“He didn’t break as well as he did in his trial,” Martin said of the start in which Hes To Icy For Me veered out for several strides before lining out for the finish line.

“The seven horse (This Corona is Cold) had me beat about a half length and when I got by her I could see American Runaway. He was coming at me at the end,” Martin said.

A $36,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase, Hes To Icy For Me earned $312,500 by winning the Rainbow Futurity in his fourth career start.

The First Down Dash son gained attention at Sunland Park this spring and finished sixth in the West Texas Futurity at 5-2 odds after bucking during the race.

Sedillo then gelded the colt, passed on the Ruidoso Futurity in June and pointed at the Rainbow Futurity trials. He responded with a dominating one-and-one-quarter-length trial win with the second-fastest qualifying time of :19.491.

Bred by the Vessels Stallion Farm LLC and DM Cattle Co. on Bonsall, California, Hes Too Icy For Me is out of the Chicks Beduino mare Slighty Icy, a half-sister to stakes winner Icy Lane (TB), and stakes-placed runners First Down Morn and Early Morning Bite. The gray mare has produced three winners from three starters that have so far earned $365,232.

Hes To Icy For Me’s victory spoiled American Runaway’s bid to win the $4,000,000 All American Triple Crown Bonus, the richest in quarter horse racing. He had won the Ruidoso Futurity and if could have won the Rainbow Futurity and then gone on to win the All American Futurity presented by Sentient Jet, he would have taken the $4,000,000 prize.

American Runaway, an Ocean Runaway colt owned by Sammy and Johnny Martinez with Bobby Cox, was the even-money favorite in the Rainbow Futurity on the strength of his daylight Ruidoso Futurity win and setting the fastest-qualifying times to the Ruidoso and Rainbow futurities.

The colt was second to Llano Teller in the Grade 1, $200,000 Remington Park Futurity at Remington Park this spring.

Cody Jensen rode American Runaway for trainer Paul Jones.

Alejandro Moya’s This Corona Is Cold, like Hes To Icy For Me, is lightly raced and ran a breakthrough race in the Rainbow Futurity while making her third career start. The Luis Villafranco-trained Corona Cartel filly returned from a nearly 3-month layoff to win her Rainbow Futurity trial by a nose after nearly being eliminated at the start.

Veteran Larry Payne rode This Corona Is Cold.

The complete order of finish in the Rainbow Futurity is Hes To Icy For Me, American Runaway, This Corona is Cold, Classy Nicole, Rock N Zoom, Quik Corona, Llano Teller, Bodacious Dash, Miss Barbra Allen and Dreams Fly By.

Miss Dash Ta Dial Wins Rainbow Juvenile

In the $20,000 Rainbow Juvenile Overnight Stakes, a race for horses who did not qualify for the Rainbow Futurity, Robert Williams’ homebred Miss Dash Ta Dial scored her first career win when she raced to a neck win over Tycoon Jess.

The Redd Zone was a close third-place finisher.

The Wes Giles-trained Miss Dash Ta Dial over the sloppy 400 yards in :19.623 with Esgar Ramirez up.

A Utah-bred daughter of Mark My Dial, Miss Dash Ta Dial came into the Juvenile off a third-place finish in her Rainbow Futurity trial behind futurity qualifiers Hes Too Icy For Me and Miss Barbra Allen. She had the 20th-fastest time in the Rainbow Futurity trials.