Feature Mr Bojangles, a 9-1 longshot in the $700,000 G1 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on July 24, ran 440 yards in :19.608 to defeat The Long Knife by one-half length. Jess Cuervo placed third, one-half of a length behind The Long Knife.

“The four horse (The Long Knife) had me beat about a length and we ran him down,” said veteran jockey Jackie Martin, claiming his sixth Rainbow Futurity win.

Feature Mr Bojangles, owned by SM Cattle Export Company and trained by Roberto Sanchez to win three consecutive starts before the Rainbow trials, was a $16,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale purchase.

Martin picked up the mount on Feature Mr Bojangles because the colt was one of four qualified by jockey G.R. Carter, Jr., who elected to ride fastest qualifier and odds-on favorite Mighty B Valiant. And Martin had the choice to ride Feature Mr Bojangles or Jess Cuervo.

“I thought this horse might have been a little sharper and a true quarter-mile horse, ” said Martin of the son of Feature Mr Jess “And, I get to ride him back in the All American Futurity trials.”
Second-place finisher The Long Knife contributed to a superb weekend for trainer Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, who he sent out favored Cold Cash 123 to win the Rainbow Derby on Saturday, July 23.

Jess Cuervo ran a strong race under jockey Cody Jensen to finish in third place. The Corona Cartel son has won three of his five starts and had a fourth-place finish in the Easy Jet Stakes at Remington Park.

After Jess Cuervo, the order of finish was Big Daddy Cartel, Mighty B Valiant, Jess Sass Dash, Bovet, YM Quick and Texas Rockstar. Texas Rockstar finished eighth and was placed ninth for interference. Hez Our Secret colicked the night before the Rainbow Futurity and was scratched.