Specials Jamie winning the FL Lady Bug Stakes at Remington Park last Spring.

© Dustin Orona Photography

ALTOONA, IA—AUGUST 16, 2014—A total of 36 2-year-olds have been entered in Saturday’s Iowa Double Gold Futurity (R) trials at Prairie Meadows.

A.C. Taylor’s Specials Jamie, a stakes winner during the Remington Park spring meet, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the third of five 350-yard trials. A homebred daughter of Ivory James trained by Kasey Willis, Specials Jamie has earned $75,176 from four races, and her two wins include a head victory against Oklahoma-breds in the May 25, 330-yard FL Lady Bugs Stakes (R).

Cesar Gomez has been named to ride Specials Jamie in Saturday’s trials.

Other prominent 2-year-olds entered in the Iowa Double Gold Futurity trials include Jorge Haddad’s Meduzza, a homebred filly by Ragazzo who ran second in the March 22, $194,000 Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity (G3) at Louisiana Downs, and Painted Summer, a brown daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon racing for Janyce Paulsen’s Movin On.

Painted Summer is coming off of a fourth-place finish in the 350-yard, $1,021,000 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) at Remington on May 31.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $100,000-est. Iowa Double Gold Futurity final on August 30.

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Also on Saturday, multiple stakes winner Heza Fast Invictus is one of 14 sophomores entered in the 400-yard Iowa Double Gold Derby (R).

A gelded son of Mighty Invictus owned by Marty and Shalia Powers and trained by Kasey Willis, Heza Fast Invictus will be seeking the first victory of his 3-year-old season in the Double Gold Derby trials. All told, the gelding has banked $115,696 from seven outs, and his five wins include victories in last year’s $146,000 Oklahoma Horsemen’s Association Mystery Futurity (R) at Will Rogers Downs and $106,000 Iowa Double Gold Futurity at Prairie Meadows.

Cesar Gomez has been named to ride Heza Fast Invictus from the rail post in the second of two trials.

Diana Spieker’s Big Boys Joy, a homebred gray gelding by Royal Shake Em, drew post 6 and will be making his 3-year-old debut in the first heat. Trained by Verle Bohner, Big Boys Joy scored a nose victory in last year’s $136,000 Jim Bader Futurity (R) for Iowa-breds at Prairie Meadows.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will return for the August 30, $70,000-est. Iowa Double Gold Derby final.

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The Iowa Double Gold Futurity and Derby trials, and all Prairie Meadows races, can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.