RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 3, 2020—The first day of trials for the GI $1 Million Rainbow Futurity, the second leg of the Quarter Horse Triple Crown, started off with a bang and did not disappoint. Ruidoso Futurity winner, Cyber Monday, ran in the first heat and blazed the 400-yards with a full head of steam, crossing the wire in :19.838.

This time held until the eleventh race when the sorrel gelding, Mister Illusion charged down the track with a time of :19.780.

Breaking clean and never missing a beat, Mister Illusion is owned by Jerry Windham and trained by Heath Taylor. Mister Illusion was bred in Texas by Tempting Dash out of Jess an Illusion by Mr Jess Perry. Jockey Rodrigo Vallejo was aboard the long shot that paid $25.40 on $2 win ticket.

“Normally we would never give a horse a first-time start in a 400-yard Rainbow trial, but this horse was able to handle that,” said trainer Heath Taylor. “He’s worked well all the way back to Delta Downs where he started. We knew this horse had some talent. He’s big with an excellent confirmation, and he seems to fit the mold of a 440-runner with talent.”

Mister Illusion is out of the Mr Jess Perry Jess An Illusion, the dam of Grade placed and multiple stakes sire Jess Zoomin, who was third in the 2008 All American Futurity(G1) at Ruidoso.

Cyber Monday, who after the Ruidoso Futurity did not return to the winner’s circle and was taken to the testing barn via ambulance, looked none the worse for wear in his heat. The black colt out of the barn of Sergio Ibarra took early command of the race and never gave it up.

The California-bred with stellar bloodlines is by leading sire Favorite Cartel out of Remember Me Rose by Corona Cartel. Owned by L O S LLC and Abelardo Gallegos, jockey Sergio Becerra, Jr. gave the horse another great ride to victory today and keeps the colt eligible for the $2 Million Triple Crown bonus.

Bred in California by Steve D. Burns, DVM, he is a $140,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate. His dam Remember Me Rose earned the title AQHA Dam of Distinction earlier this week.

“We’re sitting in a good position. It was nerve-racking being in the first race and waiting throughout the day, but he has performed every task,” said trainer Ibarra. “He put a solid number on the board early and deserves to be in the final. We’re a little concerned by the number of starts he will have going into the All American final, but he’s a very strong colt and deserves a chance at the Triple Crown.”

The sixth trial heat proved to be a fast one as the final three qualifiers all came out of that same race. Caliente Caramelo, Empressum and Remember Then ran an impressive race and nabbed the last three spots, in that order, coming out of today’s trials.

Two of those horses, Caliente Caramelo and Remember Then, hail from the stable of Blane Wood.

Caliente Caramelo, owned by Fulton Quien Sabe Ranches, LP and ridden by Tanner Thedford, had the third fastest time of the time with a :19.883. The brown filly is a Texas-bred by first-crop sire Jess Good Candy out of Pandorum by Tres Seis.

Caliente Caramelo was a $180,000 repurchase at the 2019 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

Remember Then, owned by George Mitchell and Ross Roark, ran the fifth fastest time with a :19.939. Jockey Ricky Ramirez was aboard the California-bred filly who shares similar bloodlines with fellow qualifier Cyber Monday as she is by Walk Thru Fire out of Remember Me Rose by Corona Cartel.

Also bred by Steve D. Burns, DVM, Remember Then was a $90,000 Los Alamitos Equine Sale graduate.

Empressum, a first-time runner at Ruidoso Downs, clocked the fourth fastest time of the day with a :19.898. The newcomer, owned by Jeff Jones and Steve Holt, is trained by Guillermo Valdivia and was ridden by Armando Ramirez, II.

The sorrel colt is an Oklahoma-bred by Apollitical Jess out of Crazy Down Corona by First Down Dash. He was highly touted earlier this year at Remington Park where he won his first two career starts, including a trial for the Heritage Place Futurity.

For a list of today's five qualifiers, times, sires, dams, owns, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

The second five fastest qualifiers from day 1, are preferred invites for the Rainbow Juvenile, an $100,000-Guaranteed invitational race for non-qualifiers to the Rainbow Futurity/ CLICK HERE for a list of those horses.

Racing continues at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday with another 15 Rainbow Futurity trials. At the conclusion of tomorrow’s card, the field will be set for the finals of the Rainbow Futurity which will be run on Sunday, July 19th.

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On Sunday’s race card, the first four races of the day will feature trials for the $300,000 Rainbow Oaks, the all-new division of the Derby series for the Rainbow and All American. Those will be followed by eight heats of trials for the $700,000 Rainbow Derby. The finals of the Rainbow Oaks and Rainbow Derby, both set at 440 yards, will be run on Saturday, July 18th. Post time is 12:00 Noon MDT on Saturday and Sunday. At this time, the Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity according to the Public Health Order from the State of New Mexico. For more information on how to watch online, place your bet with your favorite online wagering provider or conduct drive-thru wagering locally, please visit RaceRuidoso.com.

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For the latest Ruidoso Downs information, go to www.raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino Facebook page and follow Ruidoso Downs on Twitter @RuidosoDowns and on Instagram.