RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM—JULY 20, 2019—Ernesto Palacio's Eagle Coast surged to win the Grade 1, $1,008,129 Rainbow Derby and end the five-race winning streak of 11-10 favorite Apocalyptical Jess at Ruidoso Downs on Saturday afternoon.

Eagle Coast gave Palacio, trainer Jose Luis Muela and jockey Sergio Becerra Jr. their first Grade 1 wins.

Garlyn O. Shelton's homebred Five Bar Stoli was a neck behind Eagle Coast for second while Apocalyptical Jess was one-length further back for third.

Eagle Coast was timed in :21.295 for the 440 yards.

"He broke a little slow," winning jockey Becerra Jr. "I went to the left hand (with the crop) and then the right hand. He hooked with Five Bar Stoli and just left him."

Palacio has been looking for this win since last summer at Ruidoso Downs. "It's a very big excitement," he said. "Last year, Eagle Coast won (his trial) two times and did not qualify. I've wanted to go against Apocalyptical Jess since the All American (Futurity) trials." Eagle Coast won his trials to the Rainbow Futurity and the All American Futurity.

A gelding by One Dashing Eagle, Eagle Coast moved forward last fall when he won the Grade 2, $344,000 Hobbs America Futurity and was second in the Grade 1, $150,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship. Bred by Jim Streelman and Bill Dale, from the Ocean Runaway mare Coastal Candy, he was a $20,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase from the Bielau Oaks consignment.

Eagle Coast was the fifth-fastest qualifier to the Rainbow Derby while winning the eighth of 10 trials in :21.397.

"I thank God and my crew," trainer Muela, who saddled three Rainbow Derby finalists, said. "This morning I had a lot of faith in him. I was confident and had faith.

"I think winning my first Grade 1 will hit me in a couple of days." Five Bar Stoli< ran a game race to finish second under Jose Amador Alvarez.

The John Stinebaugh-trained gelding raced with Eagle Coast for most of the quarter mile before unable to match Eagle Cast's closing rush.

A son of Five Bar Cartel, Five Bar Stoli reached the Rainbow Derby finals by finishing second in his trial and posting the ninth-fastest qualifying mark of :21.454.

A Texas homebred racing for owner-breeder Garlyn O. Shelton, the sorrel gelding from the Stoli mare Stoli Angel has banked $202,369.

Jose Amador Alvarez was up on Five Bar Stoli.

Bill Robbins' highly celebrated Apocalyptical Jess raced from the outside post position and had no apparent excuse. However, his competition was on the inside of the track and he was unable to see them.

Apocalyptical Jess has been amassing an incredible record. He was the 2018 champion two-year-old gelding on the strength of winning the Grade 1, $3-million All American Futurity. He came back this year to vault to the number-one ranking in the American Quarter Horse Association poll for older horses with wins in the $319,975 Remington Park Oklahoma-bred Derby and the Grade 1, $958,766 Ruidoso Derby. He was the co-second-fastest qualifier to the Rainbow Derby with a :21.354 time.

The third-place finish by Apocalyptical Jess pushed his career earnings to $2,187,386 for fourth place on the all-time leading money earning list for quarter horses.

The Apollitical Jess-sired gelding is trained by Trey Wood and Ricky Ramirez was aboard. . Danny Joe Miller bred the gelding in Oklahoma from the Holland Ease mare Cassandra Crest.

Mystic Blues, Sc Money Maker, Breaking New Ground, Tres Jazz, America Rules, Excessive Gambler and Shockinglyfamous completed the field.

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