Silver For Me, Mighty B Valiant Head Stellar Rainbow Futurity Trials

Ruidoso Futurity winner Silver For Me and Remington Park Futurity winner Mighty B Valiant, two of the top-four ranked two-year-olds in quarter horse racing, head the 219 hopefuls entered to race in the 22 trials to the Grade 1, $700,000 Rainbow Futurity on Friday at Ruidoso Downs.

A special 10 a.m. first post has been set to accommodate the day-long trials. There is always free parking and free general admission at Ruidoso Downs.

The horses with the 10-fastest qualifying times from the trials advance to the Rainbow Futurity finals on July 24 at Ruidoso Downs.

The fourth-ranked juvenile Silver For Me, one of two $25,000 supplemental nominees to the Rainbow Futurity trials, has the most to gain by qualifying to the Rainbow Futurity. As the Ruidoso Futurity winner he is the only horse eligible for the $4-million All American Triple Crown Bonus, the richest bonus in quarter horse racing. Silver For Me can pick up the bonus in he wins the Rainbow Futurity and then the Grade 1, $2.4-million All American Futurity on Labor Day.

Owned by G.W. Hartstack with B and B Electric, Silver For Me surprised in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity at 11-1 odds when he rallied for the neck win under jockey Carlos Madeira. It was his second win from two starts at Ruidoso Downs after finishing second in each of his two outs at Sam Houston Race Park, highlighted by the John Deere Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge.

“This horse gives me cold chills when I think about him. I couldn’t ask him to be any better,” said trainer Jackie Riddle. “He came back (from the Ruidoso Futurity) very well. He galloped this morning (Sunday) and he went beautifully. We just need a little luck (in the trials).”

Regular rider Carlos Madeira will be aboard Silver For Me with the third post position in the 17th trial.
You And Me Partners’ Mighty B Valiant is the nation’s third-ranked two-year-old on the strength of his win in the $780,000 Remington Park Futurity and second-place run in the Grade 1, $1-million Heritage Place Futurity as the 3-5 favorite.

The son of Valiant Hero from the Raymond Vargas stable rolled to a three-quarter length win in the Remington Park Futurity and then came up one-half length short in the Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park in his most recent start. That second-place effort is the sole blemish during his four-race career and he has been the overwhelming odds-on favorite in each of his starts.

“He’s been up here for about a month and is acclimated (to the altitude),” said Vargas. “He’s been galloping and worked 330 yards in :17.04 and pulled up well. He doesn’t get very excited and he’s just really easy to take care of.”
G. R. Carter Jr. and been aboard Mighty B Valiant in each of his starts and they start from the second post position in the eighth trial.

The second $25,000 supplemental nominee to the Rainbow Futurity trials is Louisiana-invader JLS Party Wagon. The PYC Paint Your Wagon-sired colt has the same connections owner JLS Speedhorse Ranch and trainer Darrel Soulieu as the champion JLS Mr Bigtime, who came from Louisiana to finish a close second in last summer’s All American Futurity.
JLS Party Wagon, the eighth-ranked two-year-old, is perfect from two starts at Louisiana Downs with a three-quarter length win in the Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity as the 5-2 favorite on March 19 and he has been rested since that score.

Jacky Martin rode JLS Mr Bigtime last summer at Ruidoso Downs and he will be aboard JLS Party Wagon. They have the seventh post position in the 15th trial.

Debra Gotovac’s Back In The Pack, trained by Bradley Bolen, posted a second-place finish in the Ruidoso Futurity at 22-1 odds. She broke in at the start and then made a promising rally to come up a neck short of Silver For Me at the end of the 350-yard contest.

Sired By Corona For Me, like Silver For Me, Back In the Pack won her maiden at first asking and qualified for the Oklahoma Futurity at Remington Park. She then came to Ruidoso Downs and was a close second in her Ruidoso Futurity trial in her first local out.

Back In The Pack starts from the ninth post position in the 11th trial with regular rider Cody Wainscott aboard.
Trial races continue of Saturday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs when the top three-year-olds, expected to include Ruidoso Derby winner Llano Teller, race in the trials to the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby.