Racing


Hold Air Hostage Dominates Rainbow Derby
Hold Air Hostage, under jockey Rodrigo Vallejo, easily winning the Grade 1 1,150,000 Rainbow Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Hold Air Hostage Dominates Rainbow Derby

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 22, 2017—Darling Farms’ fastest-qualifier Hold Air Hostage demolished a strong field to win the Grade 1, $1,150,000 Rainbow Derby on Sunday afternoon at Ruidoso Downs.

Also on the program was the $100,000 Corona Cartel for three-year-olds that did not qualify for the Rainbow Derby. Elicity took the C-orona Cartel by one-half length (see related story).

Hold Air Hostage gave jockey Rodrigo Vallejo an easy ride to the win in :21.397 for the 440 yards. The gelded son of Apollitical Jess flew from the starting gate and steadily increased his advantage throughout the 440 yards.

He was tapped a couple of times by Vallejo and cruised under the wire one-and-three-quarter lengths ahead of the consistent High Plains Perry.

High Plains Perry finished a neck ahead of Jess A Painted Wagon.

Darling Farms' Hold Air Hostage has won six of nine career starts and earned $640,236. © StallioneSearch
Hold Air Hostage is strong and displays his strength. "He’s a beast," said trainer Judd Kearl. "He’s aggressive. In fact, we galloped him yesterday."

Hold Air Hostage has now won four of six starts this year and six of nine starts lifetime.

The gelding started his 2017 campaign at Remington Park.

"He wasn’t ready for his first out," said Kearl.

Hold Air Hostage has been ready for every race since that third-place run in his trial to the Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Derby. After a close second in his trial to the Grade 2, $297,000 Heritage Place Derby, he stepped up and took the 400-yard finals by one-and-three-quarter lengths.

That was the first of three consecutive daylight victories.

In his first start at Ruidoso Downs, his Rainbow Derby trial, he easily won by one-and-three-quarter lengths. His time of :21.414 topped the 11 trials.

The winning connections of Hold Air Hostage accept the Rainbow Derby stakes trophy.
© Gay Harris / Ruidoso Downs
Sent off as the 3-2 favorite in the Rainbow Derby, he lived up to his supporters’ expectations.

Bred in Oklahoma by Luis Miguel Albores Gleason, Hold Air Hostage used the $483,000 Rainbow Derby payday more than double his earnings to $640,236. His out of the Fols Gold mare Fols Zookie Gold.

Runner-up High Plains Perry, owned by Paragon Farms, LLC, closed out his juvenile season with a win in the Grade 1, $1-million Texas Classic Futurity and has continued his consistent record this year for trainer Trey Wood.

The gelded son of Mr Jess Perry was the closest of third-place finishers in the Grade 1, $800,000 Ruidoso Derby. The $100,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase was .02 seconds behind the two horses that finished in a dead heat for the win, Tough To Bee and Magical Jess.

Ricky Ramirez, the only jockey to ever ride High Plains Perry, was aboard.

Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches bred High Plains Perry in Texas from the Chicks Beduino mare Sky Chicks. The $207,000 second-place payday boosted the brown gelding's earnings total to $743,660.

R.D. Hubbard’s Jess A Painted Wagon, a daughter of Pyc Paint Your Wagon, added some black-type to her strong pedigree. She is from the family of champion two-year-old and All American Futurity winner Jess Good Candy.

The Mike Joiner-trained Jess A Painted Wagon, a $35,000 Ruidoso Select Sale purchase, won her two previous starts. She won a Ruidoso Downs’ conditioned allowance race and then her Rainbow Derby trial in :21.493 for the second-fastest qualifying time.

Dallas Chartier bred third-place finisher Jess A Painted Wagon in Oklahoma. The daughter of leading sire Pyc Paint Your Wagon is out of Jess A Candy Gal by Mr Jess Perry. She pocketed $115,000 for the effort.

Completing the official order of finish were Duponte, Magestic Eagle, C Twister Seis, Kitty Kiernan, Apollitical Chad, Myst Fit and Teller Baja.

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