Carters Cookie, trained by Mike Joiner, held off Vancouver Moon for a 1 1/4 length victory in the $700,000 G1 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Down, on Sunday, July 22. It was the second career start for the gelded son of Carter Cartel, who won his trial to qualify for the 400-yard race with the third fastest time. His winning time of :19.612 in the Futurity earned a speed index of 92.

“In his trial he got the lead and raced a little green,” said rider G.R. Carter Jr. “Today he was really focused and ready for a big race. He blasted away from there and was more seasoned.”

Carters Cookie, from the first crop of 2-year-old champion Carters Cartel, is owned by Mark Allen, Leonard Blach and Butch Southway. Allen and Blach also teamed up to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird.

A $40,000 purchase at last year’s Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale, Carters Cookie is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to leading freshman sire One Famous Eagle, earner of $1.4 million.

Rainbow Futurity post time favorite Feature Hero finished fourth, while fastest qualifier Jetastar, who bled and was vanned off the track following the race, came in eighth. Blaze Carver, a 12-1 longshot placed third, half a length behind Vancouver Moon, the race’s second fastest qualifier.

Vancouver Moon, trained by Juan Gonzalez and ridden by Jaime Parga Leos to win her Futurity trial by 3 lengths, is a half-sister to champion and world record setter First Moonflash.

The order of finish in the Rainbow Futurity: Carters Cookie, Vancouver Moon, Blaze Carver, Feature Hero, Scatmandu, Pyro, Distant Fury, Jesastar, Eyegotitgoinon and Nellie Delaney.

Ochoa claims Rainbow Derby win

Ochoa won the $900,000 G1 Rainbow Derby, which boasted the largest purse in 38 runnings of the 440-yard stakes race.

Trained by Sleepy Gilbreath, Ochoa closed gamely to win by a head over Priceless Feature. He qualified for the race while defeating champion Feature Mr Bojangles in their trial.

“It was a good break for him,” said rider Roy Baldillez. “The horse next to me came over on me a little bit, but this horse has so much heart. He just dug in and went on.”

Sired by Tres Seis and owned by the partnership of his breeder, Johnny T.L. Jones Jr., with Monte and Katsy Cluck, and Douglas Benson, Ochoa won last year’s $2.5 million G1 All American Futurity and was named 2011champion 2-year-old and 2-year-old gelding by AQHA. He remains undefeated at 440 yards and has earned over $1.5 million.

Both second and third-place finishers Priceless Feature and Jess Lips are trained by Eddie Willis. The remaining order was Feature Mr Bojangles, Jesscuzican, Feature Mr Who, Bills Last, YM Quick and CD Riggins.