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Rainbow Oaks
RATIFICATION
by Tracy Gantz
Bobby Cox’s Ratification likes to keep busy. It’s one of the things that makes her such a good racehorse, which she demonstrated by
winning the inaugural running of the $315,739 Rainbow Oaks at Ruidoso Downs July 18.
“She’s pretty fidgety around the barn until everything is shut down,” said trainer John Buchanan. “But up in the paddock and in the gate, she’s a perfect lady. She just wants to get out and do something.”
Qualifying the fastest for the 440-yard Oaks on July 5, Ratification nevertheless went off as the 7-1 third choice.
“Fernweh and some of those are really good fillies,” said Buchanan, who had hoped some of the tougher competition would have run in the Rainbow Derby-G1 instead.
Fernweh won last year’s Ruidoso Futurity-G1 and this year’s Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby. As a result, she went off as the 1-2 favorite in the Rainbow Oaks.
That caliber of competition didn’t faze Ratification and jockey Esgar Ramirez. They led almost from start to finish. Ratification bore
out quite a bit, but she still managed to win by a head, stopping the timer in :21.514, posting a 93 speed index.
“I don’t know why she drifts out,” said Buchanan. “The vets and us don’t see any types of lameness. It seems like there will be a horse out there and she goes out to where that horse is.”
Ramirez, who was riding
the filly for the first time said,
“She broke early and stayed out front. She moved over, and I did my best to keep her focused.”
Buchanan wasn’t originally scheduled to train Ratification because Cox, who also bred the
filly, offers his horses for sale at public auction. But Ratification colicked and didn’t go through the auction ring. She recovered without any ill effects, and Cox decided to race her himself.
As a 2 year old in 2019, Ratification qualified for the Rainbow Futurity-G1 for Buchanan. Cox sent her to Los Alamitos
since she was paid into the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1. With Jaime Gomez training her there, she finished third in the Golden State Juvenile.
This year back with Buchanan, Ratification won her trial for the Ruidoso Derby-G1 but did not qualify. She then aced her Rainbow Oaks trial by two lengths.
Buchanan praised Ruidoso for the creation of the Rainbow
Oaks. He pointed out that with a first-time total purse of $315,739, Ratification earned $132,611, which was more than she would have earned for second in the Rainbow Derby.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Buchanan about the new race. “It’s got to be a little easier on those fillies avoiding the big old stout colts.”
Ratification is a smaller filly, which made an all-filly race even more attractive to her connections. Now Cox and Buchanan will have
RACING NEWS
Ruidoso Downs $315,739 • 440 yards :21.514 • si 93
Mr Jess Perry
Apollitical Jess
Apollitical Time
RATIFICATION, ‘17-f.
First Down Dash
Shesa First Ratify
Ratify
Ratification and jockey Esgar Ramirez win the $315,739 Rainbow Oaks by a head.
SPEEDHORSE August 2020 133
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse