“She got away a little slow,” said Ms First Prize Rose’s rider Ricky Ramirez. “Belle Helene had a length on me, but (my horse) really came on.”

A blanket finish where three noses, a head and two necks separated the top seven finishers saw Ms First Prize Rose win by a nose in :19.540. Third-placed Potenzza was a neck behind Belle Helene.

Ms First Prize Rose, owned by Johnny Trotter and Burnett Ranches Ltd, is by Corona Cartel and out of Heritage Place Futurity winner First Carolina, whose dam is 2006 Broodmare of the Year First Prize Dash, sister to all-time leading sire First Down Dash.

First Carolina has three 2-year-olds racing in 2013: Ms First Prize Rose, who broke her maiden in her third start – Rainbow Futurity trial; Coronado Cartel, winner of the Oklahoma-Bred Futurity: and Itea, runnerup in the G2 Firecracker Futurity.

Belle Helene, a $75,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase bred by Julianna Hawn-Holt and owned by Lana Merrick, is by Valiant Hero and out of 2004 Rainbow Futurity winner and track record setter Thewayyouwantmetoo.

Order of finish, with trainer and jockey, for the G1 Rainbow Futurity: Ms First Prize Rose (Wood/Ramirez); Belle Helene (Wood/Jensen); Potenzza Jones/Sanchez); Carters Disco (Stinebaugh/Perez); Reagal Eagle (Gonzalez/Gamez); Regard The Cartel Willis/JD Brooks); Rocked Up Gonzalez/Leos); BP Its My Policy (Wood/Baldillez); Chief Tistarosa (Cordova/Ramirez); and GRC Justplainazoom Jones/Garcia-Luna).

Wicked Courage takes Rainbow Derby in ninth consecutive win
Wicked Courage, winner of the G1 Rainbow Derby, tallied her ninth consecutive win as the betting favorite in the $1 million Rainbow Derby on Saturday, July 20, at Ruidoso Downs. The winning time, at 440 yards, was :21.190; Jjs Gone, trained by Victor Flores for Maegan Cavasos and ridden by Esgar Ramirez, was second;

Owned by Andrew Smith, trained by Luis Villafranco and ridden by Cody Jensen, Wicked Courage is a gelded son of Captain Courage out of Wicked Pamela, dam of three stakes winner.