Rated perfectly by jockey Mark Villa, Red Rock Springs sprinted to a wire-to-wire, half-length victory in Saturday’s $136,221 Mountain Top Thoroughbred Futurity (R) for New Mexico-breds before a crowd of 3,340 at Ruidoso Downs.

Red Rock Springs covered 5 furlongs in :59.25 on a track labeled “good” after setting fractions of :22.41 and :46.11. Tony Sedillo of Sunland Park, New Mexico, owns and trains the dark bay or brown colt by Your Eminence.

Red Rock Springs was bred by Michael Weatherly of Mesquite, New Mexico, and the colt was acquired by Sedillo for $9,700 at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale. Red Rock Springs became the second stakes winner from 30 starters sired by Your Eminence, an unraced son of the Halo stallion Saint Ballado and half brother to 1997 Ashland Stakes (G1) winner Glitter Woman and ’01 Breeders’ Cup Distaff Stakes (G1) winner Unbridled Elaine.

Now 9, Your Eminence has sired the earners of more than $596,000 from three crops, including My New Lady, a 4-year-old mare who won the May 3, $79,250 Ma Kettle Stakes at Indiana Downs near Indianapolis. The Kentucky-bred stallion stands for a $2,500 fee at Weatherly Horse Farms in Anthony, New Mexico.

Red Rock Springs is also one of four winners from five starters produced by the winning Golden Act mare Ocean Springs. The colt’s half brother, the Mr. Groush gelding Ocean Joe, ran second in the 2006 Ruidoso Thoroughbred Sale Futurity (R). Another half brother, the To Teras colt Spring To Teras, was the runner-up in the ’08 New Mexico Eddy County Stakes (R) at Zia Park.

Red Rock Springs’ third dam, the unraced Sassafras (FR) mare Rose Goddess (IRE), foaled three stakes winners, including Shaybani, a colt by Al Nasr (FR) who won two Group 2 races in South Africa in the late 1980s, and Sanam, a Golden Act colt who was Italy’s champion 2-year-old and Ireland’s champion freshman colt in 1986.

A 1979 foal who died in 1990, Rose Goddess was a half sister to two stakes winners, including ’78 Hong Kong Derby winner and 1980 Hong Kong horse of the year Grand Boy.

All told, Red Rock Springs has won two of four races, and the $68,112 winner’s share of the Mountain Top Futurity purse pushed his bankroll to $77,182. The colt broke his maiden in a 4 ½-furlong Copper Top Futurity (R) trial at Sunland Park on March 30, but he didn’t race in the final.

Texas Silver, the 13-10 favorite, ran second and was followed by Quick Flag, Dodson, Ruby Tequila, DJ’s Diamond, High Siete, and Mysticalundertones.

A gray or roan colt by Silver Season, Texas Silver earned $27,244 to boost his earnings to $56,144 for owner J.K. Robison of El Paso, Texas. The colt, who was acquired for $25,000 at last year’s New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale, was coming off of a 2 ½-length victory in his Mountain Top trial on June 10.

Quick Flag increased his earnings to $17,117 for his owners, R.E. Keith, Philip Godwin, Eddie Harrell, and O.C. Jarvis. The bay gelding by Avenue Of Flags is winless in his first two outs.