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Rainbow Futurity Winner Mm Fourinthemorning Back In Trials To $3-Million All American Futurity
Champion jockey Ricky Ramirez will ride Mm Fourinthemorning in Saturday's Grade 1 $3 million All American Futurity trials at Ruidoso Downs.

© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Rainbow Futurity Winner Mm Fourinthemorning Back In Trials To $3-Million All American Futurity

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—AUGUST 12, 2018— Mark and Annette McCloy's late-charging Rainbow Futurity winner Mm Fourinthemorning returns in a deep second of two days of trials to the Grade 1, $3,000,000 All American Futurity on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

There will 16 440-yard trials on Friday and then another 16 440-yard trials on Saturday afternoon. A total of 311 two-year-olds were entered in the trials.

The horses with the five-fastest times on each trial day advance to the All American Futurity on Labor Day. The horses with the next five-fastest times on each day gain priority to run in the $200,000 All American Juvenile, also on Labor Day.

There is a special 11 a.m. first post time on each trial day.

After the trials on each day the New Mexico-bred Yearling Sale and the Select Foals In Utero Sale will be held at the sale pavilion east of the racetrack.

West Texas Futurity(G2) winner Suze Returns races in the 13th trial on Saturday. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Mm Fourinthemorning moved to the number-one spot in the weekly American Quarter Horse Association two-year-old poll after he surged to victory in the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity in his latest start. The gelding, racing from the outside post position, got the best start of his three-race career and had a clear running lane.

He drifted out slightly and caught the leaders nearing the grandstand. The son of Mr Jess Perry displayed his explosive finish to pass the leaders and win by an expanding three quarters of a length. The Rainbow Futurity was run at 400 yards and the All American Futurity trials and finals are 40 yards longer.

The Blane Wood-trained Mm Fourinthemorning showed his potential in the Rainbow Futurity trials when he won his trial by one length with the day's third-fastest time of :19.887 for 400 yards.

"He's doing really well," said Mm Fourinthemorning's champion jockey Ricky Ramirez. "We stood him in the gate and when he is galloping you can tell he's craving it and ready to do it again.

Jockey Raul Ramirez Jr. will be aboard Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity winner Blue Corazon in the 14th on Saturday.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
"He's maturing and getting better leaving the gate in each race."

Ramirez will be riding a horse in every trial on the first day and 15 of the 16 trials on Saturday. "You get tired, but your adrenaline keeps you going," said Ramirez. "This is what you work for all year, so getting tired is not a problem."

Ramirez is leading the nation in money earned by his mounts with nearly $1.7 million. He is also the leading quarter horse jockey at Ruidoso Downs in wins and money earned.

Mm Fourinthemorning, an earner of $424,800, and Ramirez start from the third post position in Saturday's 12th trial.

The following two trials each contain dangerous horses. West Texas Futurity winner Suze Returns races in the 13th trial and Ruidoso Futurity winner Blue Corazon runs in the 14th trial.

Champion jockey G.R. Carter, Jr. will ride Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity winner Sunnysyde in the 4th trial on Friday.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Joe Rios' Suze Returns, a $50,000 supplemental nominee to enter the trials, has been durable all year for trainer Juan Carlos Gonzalez with a second to Blue Corazon in the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Ruidoso Futurity to go with her neck win in the Grade 2, $269,000 West Texas Futurity. In the Rainbow Futurity, the High Rate Of Return daughter had a tardy start and never threatened.

Suze Returns is the fourth-ranked two-year-old in the nation.

An earner of $351,618, Suze Returns will have regular rider Jaime Parga Leos aboard with the fifth post position.

Newman Cattle Company's Blue Corazon, the nation's third-ranked two-year-old, starts from the fourth post position in the 14th trial.

Another member of the Wood stable, Blue Corazon won the Ruidoso Futurity by one-half length over Suze Returns in his second career start.

Heritage Place Futurity(G1) runner-up Wokatee On Fire will race in the 5th trial on Friday. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
The gelding by leading first-crop sire Coronado Cartel had a troubled start in his Rainbow Futurity trial, however still managed a head victory. His time was not fast enough to qualify for the Rainbow Futurity.

Raul Ramirez Jr. was up for the Ruidoso Futurity win and will ride Blue Corazon in his All American Futurity trial.

The first day of trials on Friday features the top-two finishers in the Grade 1, $1,025,000 Heritage Place Futurity, Sunnysyde and supplemental nominee Wokatee On Fire. They are each trained by Clint Crawford.

Cox-Lane, LLC's Sunnysyde, a son of Heza Fast Dash, finished second when he made his career debut in the Heritage Place Futurity trials. He then stepped up with an impressive two-length win in the Heritage Place Futurity. He raced the 350 yards in a sharp :17.141. That was his most recent start on June 2.

G.R. Carter Jr. gets aboard Sunnysyde and they drew the sixth post position in the fourth race.

Servando Montemayor's Wokatee On Fire also makes his first start since the Heritage Place Futurity. The son of first-crop sire Highest Fire started his career with a two-and-three-quarter-length romp in his Heritage Place Futurity trial and was then second to Sunnysyde in the Heritage Place Futurity.

Remington Park Futurity(RG2) winner Lynnder 16 will start
in the 5th trial on Friday. © Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Regular rider James Flores is aboard Wokatee On Fire in Friday fifth trial. They start from the second post position.

Wokatee On Fire faces a stern test in his trial from Tom Maher and Dick Tobin's Lynnder 16, the nation's seventh-ranked two-year-old. The daughter of Apollitical Jess won the $864,000 Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Futurity in April and then trainer Jason Olmstead brought her to Ruidoso Downs.

Lynnder 16 won her Ruidoso Futurity trial and then scored a third-place finish in the $100,000 Ruidoso Juvenile, her latest start.

Regular rider Cristian Esqueda will be up.

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© Ernesto Salinas © Ismael Venegas Two races back Rock About It set a new track record for 550 yards at Remington Park when he won a May 20 Allowance in :26.258 seconds, equaling a 112 speed index.