Q-RACING JOURNAL—OCTOBER 16, 2014—A pair of very consistent stakes veterans – Jerry Windham’s homebred Stimulus and Darian Burt’s homebred Jesscuzican – head the participants in the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1), the main event during the stakes-filled Bank of America Challenge Championships program on Saturday night at Prairie Meadows.

The winner of the Bank of America Challenge Championship earns an invitation to compete in the $600,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course in Southern California in December.

The Charley Hunt-trained Stimulus (Mr Jess Perry-Veva Jean by Runaway Winner) brings home track advantage into the 440-yard sprint. He has made two starts over the track with a second in his Bank of America Prairie Meadows Challenge trial and then coming back to rally and gain a head win in the $77,130 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Challenge, his most recent start.

A half-brother to world champion Stolis Winner, Stimulus has three wins and a pair of seconds in his five latest starts.

Jesscuzican and Testing The Ice represent New Mexico as the dead-heat winners of the $105,480 Bank of America Sunland Park Challenge (G2) through a disqualification back in April.

Jesscuzican (Feature Mr Jess-Covenent Confirmer by Stoli) came off that win to string together three second-place finishes against the top older horses at Ruidoso Downs this summer. He was second in the $30,000 Higheasterjet Handicap (G3) and the $20,000 Mr Jet Moore Handicap to Jody Pops Zoomer and then second by a neck to DM Streakn Thru Fire in the $200,000 All American Gold Cup (G1).

Rancho Los Dos Potrillos LLC’s Testing The Ice (Stoli-Streakin La Tac by Streakin La Jolla) took a five-month rest after the Bank of America Sunland Park Challenge. The gelding surfaced at Zia Park and ran a close third, beaten by a neck, in the $55,360 James Isaac Hobbs Stakes (G2). The five-year-old gelding was second in the $111,452 West Texas Maturity (G3) back in March.

Gerardo Prado’s Vodka With Ice (Stoli-Hips So Fine by Extra Easy) is back to defend his title in the Bank of America Challenge Championship after winning last year’s running at Los Alamitos at 17-1 odds. The winner of 14 of 55 career starts earned his starting spot in this year’s running with a win two starts ago in the $81,985 Bank of America Les Bois Park Challenge. He easily handled that field in August and then shipped to Prairie Meadows. He was fifth in an open allowance race in his only start since his arrival in Iowa.

Gilberto Jasso’s Specials Gold (Voghts Gold-Special Anywhere by Make It Anywhere) came to Prairie Meadows after winning the $68,220 Bank of America Turf Paradise Challenge for the second-straight year on October 4. The gelding showed he likes the Prairie Meadows track when he was second by a head in the 2012 Altoona Derby (G3).

Watch the Bank of America Challenge Championships live at Q-Racing Video..

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The Bank of America Challenge Championships are November 18 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa.

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