“Last Monday there were photographs of three group two rosettes on the blog. They were American wins and they were red. Why aren’t they blue for second like in the UK?”
Good question. Can anybody help?
Enthusiasts & Fanciers of Glens
Keeping Glen of Imaal Terrier people up to date
Enthusiasts & Fanciers of Glens 
In the US a first place ribbon is blue and second place is red. I noticed this difference the first time I attended the Dublin horse show in 1995.
From wikipedia: “The blue ribbon is a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Cordon Bleu, which referred to the blue ribbon worn by a particular order of knights. The spelling blue riband is still encountered in most English-speaking countries, but in the United States, the term was altered to blue ribbon, and ribbons of this color came to be awarded for first place in certain athletic or other competitive endeavours (such as county and state fairs). It also may be applied to distinguished members of a group or commission who have convened to address a situation or problem; the usual usage is “blue ribbon commission” or “blue-ribbon panel”.
So, I think the question is how did it become a red ribbon for first place in the UK?