Jerry Windham’s homebred Stolis Winner proved that his upset Heritage Place Futurity victory (pictured) wasn’t a fluke with a game win over PB And Crackers in the Grade 1, $625,000 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on Sunday, July 20.
“I was surprised in the Heritage Place Futurity; I thought we could finish fourth,” Windham said. “He’s maturing every day so I wasn’t as surprised with this win.”
The fans weren’t surprised, either. He went off at nearly 25-1 in the Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park, but was the 4-1 second choice in the Rainbow Futurity.
A son of Stoli, Stolis Winner raced the 400 yards in :19.470 with Rodrigo Vallejo aboard for trainer Heath Taylor.
R.D. and Shaun Hubbard’s PB And Crackers, trained by six-time defending national champion Paul Jones, finished three quarters of a length ahead of third-place runner Inseperable, also trained by Jones.
Taylor lightly trained Stolis Winner after the Heritage Place Futurity and the strategy had paid off with a Rainbow Futurity win and with the gelding now being one of the top prospects for the Grade 1, $2 million All American Futurity on Labor Day.
“It was a calculated risk not to breeze him [before the Rainbow trials],” Taylor said. “But the run across the track in the trial helped him. Unlike most two-year-olds, he seems to run better during the second out.” Taylor will now lightly trained Stolis Winner up to the All American Futurity trials on August 14.
PB And Crackers, a son of leading freshman sire The Down Side, also showed that he will be ready for the All American Futurity trials with his second-place effort. “He broke really well for him,” jockey Freddie Martinez said. “He’s a late maturing colt who will like 440 yards [the distance of the All American Futurity].”
Fast Prize Zoom, the 2-5 favorite, never found her best stride and finished fourth. She set world records in her first two starts, including the Grade 1, $300,000 West Texas Futurity, and then set the fastest-qualifying time to the Rainbow Futurity, :19.563.
The complete order of finish in the Rainbow Futurity was Stolis Winner, PB And Crackers, Inseperable, Fast Prize Zoom, Cashinginmydreams, Winners Version, Dashazoom, Spring Bling and Mr Perrys Wine.
In the race before the Rainbow Futurity, a 350-yard allowance race, Wild Six made an impressive return to racing with an expanding length-and-three-quarter victory in :17.266. She will now point to the All American Derby trials on August 15.
Last year, the Wes Giles-trained filly won the West Texas Futurity and the Rainbow Futurity before finishing sixth in the All American Futurity behind champion Heartswideopen, whp won the Rainbow Derby on Saturday, July 19.