Visa and jockey Bryan Candanosa led a field of five quarter horses to qualify for the $800,000 Rainbow Derby in the 14th and final trial race Saturday at Ruidoso Downs Race Track.
Visa won by one-and-one-quarter length over Politiko, Johnny Ringo 123, Scream Machine and JS On Fire in the fastest time of the day, 21.584 seconds for 400-yards.
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Last year’s 3-year-old filly standout Dark NME, also qualified. The winner of last season’s Rainbow Futurity and the Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park, showed her class in the eighth trial race in winning by one-and-three-quarters lengths in a time of 21.636 seconds for 400-yards.
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Other quarter horses to make the final included Shoeless in the eleventh trial race, Unrelentless and Moes in the twelfth trial race, and Dashing Tres in the eighth trial race.
The Rainbow Derby final is July 20. The trials were postponed twice due to flooding last weekend.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
