Cers Final Try Victorious in Rainbow Derby
Ratification Wins Rainbow Oaks
Love Is Everything V Takes Rainbow Invitational

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM – JULY 18, 2020 – In the feature stakes race of the day, the Grade I Rainbow Derby, all eyes were on the filly Hotsempting who took on the colts and geldings in the open division instead of running in the new Oaks division for fillies. In the end, it came down to three horses hitting the wire almost simultaneously with Cers Final Try winning with a time of 21.368. Hotsempting ran a very close second with a time of 21.378, and Gold Heart Eagle V was third with a time of 21.380. The 440-yard dash for a purse of $710,414 was run under cloudy skies on a fast track with almost no wind.

Cers Final Try is owned by Christina Robinson, wife of the late Charles Robinson who won the All American with Imperial Eagle in 2016. Cers stands for Charles E. Robinson. The brown gelding by One Dashing Eagle out of Bp Shes All Corona by Corona Cartel was bred in Oklahoma and is trained by Tony Sedillo.

“I knew that if we could just get close that we could run them down. That’s the kind of horse we have,” said trainer Sedillo. “It was too close of a photo that could have gone either way, but this horse has such a late rush to the finish, I thought we might be in pretty good shape. Christina called my cell phone right away and started crying, saying ‘We won the Rainbow!’ I’m very happy for their family and proud of this racehorse.”

Jockey Alfredo Sigala rode Cers Final Try today and had this to say about how the horse performed: “We didn’t break with the pack, and we were behind a little early. Tony told me not to worry about breaking, that my horse would be best in the final 150 yards, and he was right.”

In the inaugural running of the Rainbow Oaks earlier in the day, Ratification, the fastest qualifier from the trials took home the victory. The sorrel filly ran the 440 yards in 21.514 to top Valiant Astica and Southern Wagon.

Owned by Bobby Cox and bred in Texas, Ratification is by Apollitical Jess out of Shesa First Ratify by First Down Dash. She is trained by John Buchanan and was ridden today by Esgar Ramirez.

“The good thing about the filly is that she is small enough that she can run on top of the race track while other horses are digging in deep,” said trainer Buchanan. “She came over a little which is what she did in her trial. I guess she was heading over to the winner’s circle a little early. She’s headed to the All American Derby.”

According to jockey Ramirez: “She broke early and stayed out front. She moved over, and I did my best to keep her focused.”

In the Rainbow Invitational Stakes, the consolation to the Rainbow Derby, Love Is Everything V won a close one over second-place finisher Katch This Bird with a time of 21.37. The sorrel gelding by One Valiant Hero out of Echoes of Love by One Famous Eagle is owned by James Sills and trained by Eddie Willis.

“He’s been an outstanding horse all year,” said trainer Willis. “It started at Remington and now he’s showing what he can do.”

Aboard today was jockey Jimmy Brooks who got the win on his 55th birthday.

“About 150 yards from the finish line, I could feel my horse picking up momentum,” said Brooks. “He extended his neck, and you could tell how much he wanted it.”

Racing continues on Sunday with the running of the $1 Million GI Rainbow Futurity and the Rainbow Juvenile. Both will be broadcast live on The Cowboy Channel beginning at 4:00 PM MDT. The show will be hosted by veteran announcer Tom Dawson who will be live from Ruidoso Downs, and Jeff Medders who will be in-studio in Fort Worth. Ruidoso Downs and The Cowboy Channel announced a new long-term deal earlier this week that includes coverage of all Quarter Horse Triple Crown racing events.  Approximate post time for the Rainbow Futurity is 5:12 PM.

Post time is 1:00 PM MDT on Sunday. At this time, the Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity due 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, please visit RaceRuidoso.com.