Champion and multiple graded stakes winner Dark NME headlines Saturday's $796,229 Rainbow Derby [G1] at the Downs

© Ruidoso Downs

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

ALBUQUERQUE, NM–JULY 25, 2024–TYKHE Racing's Dark NME, a multiple graded stakes winning daughter of champion Hes Relentless and last year's champion 2-year-old filly, heads a field of 10 sophomores entered back in Saturday's 440-yard, $796,229 Rainbow Derby (G1) at the Downs at Albuquerque.

Recent floods forced the closure of Ruidoso Downs Racetrack for the remainder of the season. For the first time in history, the Rainbow and All American race series will be contested in Albuquerque in 2024.

The third-fastest qualifier, Dark NME made her 3-year-old season debut with a 1 3/4-length victory in one of eight Rainbow Derby trials contested on July 6. The filly was coming off of a juvenile campaign during which she earned $1,559,452 from nine starts and won three graded stakes, including the 400-yard, $1-million Rainbow Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, and the 400-yard, $1.176-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Dark NME was a $65,000 purchase at the 2022 Heritage Place Yearling Sale. The filly drew post 3 and will be ridden by Francisco Calderon for trainer Romeo Mireles.

Other contenders include Bob McClure's Dashing Tres and Reliance Ranches' Unrelentless. A homebred son of champion Tempting Dash trained by Toby Keeton, Dashing Tres has won two of his three races at Ruidoso Downs this summer and ran third, two lengths behind winner The Marksman V, in the 400-yard, $833,000 Ruidoso Derby (G1) on June 8.

Dashing Tres drew post 6 and will be ridden by Juan Pulido.

Unrelentless was a $200,000 buy at the 2022 Heritage Place Yearling Sale. A son of champion Hes Relentless trained by Eddie D. Willis, the colt has banked $290,109 from 10 races, and his record includes a second-place finish, 1 3/4 lengths behind winner Trane Station V, in last year's 400-yard, $988,000 Golden State Million Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos.

Unrelentless drew post 10 and will be ridden by Justine Klaiber.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:

1. Scream Machine (Ricky Ramirez), 10-1
2. Politiko (Jimmy D. Brooks), 10-1
3. Js On Fire (Agustin Silva), 30-1
4. Visa (Edwin Escobedo), 8-1
5. Dark NME (Francisco Calderon), 5-2
6. Dashing Tres (Juan Pulido), 4-1
7. Moes (Adrian Ramos), 20-1
8. Johnny Ringo 123 (Christian Ramos), 30-1
9. Shoeless (Bryan Candanosa), 7-2
10. Unrelentless (Justine Klaiber), 6-1

All Downs Racetrack & Casino in Albuquerque races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.