Fdd Dreams will look to take the second leg of the Ruidoso Triple Crown, the $709,045 Grade 1 Rainbow Quarter Horse Derby aon Saturday at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack & Casino.

© Ernesto Salinas, Jr. / StallioneSearch

By H. David Smith, StallioneSearch

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–JULY 6, 2025–A talented field of ten 3-year-olds is set for the $709,045 Grade 1 Rainbow Quarter Horse Derby at 440 yards on Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

First post for the July 12 card is 1:00 p.m. (MDT). The Rainbow Derby goes as Race 10 with an approximate post time of 4:54 p.m.

Ruidoso Downs’ fast strip will showcase some of the division’s best, headlined by Fdd Dreams (5-2), a standout gelding by four-time world champion sire Dynasty out of Treasured Dreams by Apollitical Jess.

Bred and owned by La Feliz Montana Ranch, LLC, Fdd Dreams has banked more than $1.2 million and is unbeaten in three starts this year, including a decisive win in his trial and a dominant Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby victory last month. He will now try to pick up the Rainbow QH Derby, the second leg of the elusive Ruidoso Triple Crown series.

Trainer Xavier E. Rodriguez calls on regular rider Luis Martinez to pilot the New Mexico-bred, who brought $67,000 as a Ruidoso Select Yearling.

Another major player is House Of Lords (7-2), owned by Valeriano Racing Stables, LLC. This Flying Cowboy 123 gelding, bred in Oklahoma by Buck Way Ranch LLC, is out of This Candys Okay by Okey Dokey Dale and sold for $65,000 at Ruidoso Select.

Trained by Victor H. Rodriguez-Flores and ridden by champion jockey Francisco Calderon, House Of Lords brings a perfect three-for-three 2025 record, highlighted by a strong trial score and a win in the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park earlier this season.

Lethal Cowboy 123 (9-2) adds more firepower to the lineup. The Flying Cowboy 123 gelding, out of Pretty Lethal by First Down Dash, was bred by Veronica Gail Kawananakoa in California and purchased for $150,000 at Los Alamitos.

Owned by Caliche Walls Venture LLC et al, he is conditioned by Marc E. Jungers and will be ridden by Edwin G. Escobedo. Lethal Cowboy 123 enters the final on a four-race win streak, including an impressive trial score and the prestigious Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity as a juvenile.

Recently named the 2024 AQHA Racing Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding has earned more than $1.27 million in 10 starts.

Rounding out the main contenders is Electrifying Cowboy (5-1), a Flying Cowboy 123 colt out of Corona Carmelita by Corona Cartel, bred in Texas by Paragon Farms LLC.

Owned by Tungsten Racing Partnership and Ronald L. Sugamosto, Electrifying Cowboy has six wins from ten starts and brings top class form for trainer Ramon Mendoza. Luis A. Flores-Garcia gets the call aboard the $348,000 earner, who captured last year’s Grade 3 La Fiesta Futurity and was a fast-finishing second in his trial heat to qualify.

The 2025 Rainbow Derby field promises a thrilling showdown at the classic quarter mile distance as the qualifying runners vie for a lion’s share of the lucrative purse valued at $296,924.

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