Racing


Mm Fourinthemorning Wins $1 Million Dollar Rainbow Futurity
Mm Fourinthemorning, under champion jockey Ricky Ramirez, accelerates down the outside to run away with the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

© Ismael Venegas
Mm Fourinthemorning Wins $1 Million Dollar Rainbow Futurity

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 22, 2018—Mark and Annette McCloy's homebred Mm Fourinthemorning accelerated on the outside of the Ruidoso Downs' straightaway to run away with the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity and firmly establish himself as one of the favorites for the Grade 1, $3,000,000 All American Futurity on Labor Day.

The 440-yard All American Futurity trials will be on August 17-18 and the horses with the five-fastest times on each day qualify for the quarter horse race with the largest purse.

Mm Fourinthemorning finished an expanding three quarters of a length ahead of Lethal Lil. Third-place finisher Flying Cowboy 123 was three quarters of a length behind Lethal Lil.

The Ricky Ramirez-ridden Mm Fourinthemorning covered the 400 yards in :19.537.

Rainbow Futurity winning co-owner Mark McCloy with jockey Ricky Ramirez and trainer G. Blane Wood at Ruidoso Downs Sunday afternoon. © Ismael Venegas
A gelding by leading sire Mr Jess Perry, Mm Fourinthemorning is developing at the right time for trainer Blane Wood.

"He looked good right there, didn't he?" said Wood before entering the packed winner's circle."

Wood had planned throughout the year to have his prime two-year-olds peaking around All American time. Mm Fourinthemorning fits that profile.

Mm Fourinthemorning was seventh and never close when he made his career debut in the Ruidoso Futurity trials. "He was too inexperienced for the Ruidoso (Futurity trials). So we worked with him in the gate. He was green, but he had outworked everything at the ranch."

Ramirez qualified three horses for the Rainbow Futurity trained by Wood and decided to ride Mm Fourinthemorning.

Grade 1 Rainbow Futuritywinner MM Fourinthemorning and champion jockey Ricky Ramirez at Ruidoso Downs Sunday. © Ernesto Salinas
"I was hoping he would overcome being green," said Ramirez. "He was little green, but he really came on."

A $50,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling repurchase, Mm Fourinthemornig is out of the Corona Cartel mare Easeful Dinastia, a half-sister to world champion sire FDD Dynasty.

La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC paid $90,000 for runner-up Lethal Lil at the 2017 Los Alamitos Equine Sale last October. The Jose Amador Alvarez-ridden filly was in the midst of the battle before Mm Fourinthemorning made his late run past her.

Conditioned by Joel M. Valeriano, Jr., the bay filly was 9th in the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park then she hesitated at the start in the Ruidoso trials in May. Lethal Lil returned to form in the Rainbow Futurity trials July 6th by posting the fastest clocking on Day 1 after winning her trial by 1-¼ lengths. Today's $180,000 Rainbow check boosted her bankroll to $194,343.

P.K. Thomas bred the daughter of leading living sire Corona Cartel in Texas from the Dean Miracle mare Lethal Delight. She is a half-sister to 2014 All American Futurity(G1) winner Jm Miracle.

Another royally-bred Ruidoso Sale graduate Flying Cowboy 123 earned $100,000 for this third-place finish.

Owner Paragon Farms LLC paid $100,000 for the Apollitical Jess half-brother to AQHA Racing World Champion Cold Cash 123, winner of both the Rainbow and All American Derbies at Ruidoso Downs.

Also trained by Wood, jockey Raul Ramirez, Jr. picked up the mount from champion jockey Ricky Ramirez who opted to ride the winner Mm Fourinthemorning.

Like Mm Fourinthemorning, Flying Cowboy 123 stepped forward with a one-and-three-quarter-length win in his Rainbow Futurity trial. He has earned $104,800 in three starts.

Joe Rios' Suze Returns, the 6-5 favorite, had a horrid start and never found her stride.

Completing the order of finish were Flashing Candy, Coach A Comin, Longgone Perry, Sure Fire Quick, Suze Returns, One Famous Stone and My Mystery Lover.

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