PHOENIX, AZ–DECEMBER 10, 2024–Three trials were held on Tuesday afternoon for twenty-three sophomores vying for a chance to run in the $30,000 added AQRA Turf Paradise Open Derby. Sm Jess Corona proved to be fastest in trial two, with Jonathan Roman aboard.

With a six mph crosswind, Sm Jess Corona cleared the competition from wire-to-wire for a 1 1/4-length victory over Jess My Dynasty and rider Oscar Andrade Jr. The son of Kvn Corona clocked a 103 speed index in 19.606, the only horse in the ...



PHOENIX, AZ–DECEMBER 9, 2024–Barbara led the field from gate-to-wire for her third victory this season in the $69,108 AQRA Turf Paradise Open Quarter Horse Futurity on Monday.

Trainer Rigoberto Guillen named Jacob Enriquez to ride Barbara in the 350-yard finals. The daughter of champion sire Tempting Dash was alert for the entire trip, crossing the wire 1 1/2-lengths ahead of Conflict and Emilio Tapia.

Barbara clocked a 95 speed index in 17.587 seconds. The slight upset paid $16.60 to win on ...



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PHOENIX, AZ–DECEMBER 9, 2024–Born In The Blood prevailed for a slight upset in the $22,500 AQRA Turf Paradise Open Quarter Horse Futurity Consolation (not black type) on Monday.

Ridden by Rodolfo Arvizu, Born In The Blood took the lead at first call and kept it to the wire for a head victory over Masters Hand and jockey Jacob Enriquez. The son of Apollitical Blood clocked a 90 speed index in 17.757 seconds, and the 350-yard effort paid $13.00 to win on 5-1 odds.

Kvn Negro To Blanco ran third ...



LOS ALAMITOS, CA–DECEMBER 8, 2024–Antonio Flores and Bruce Guttman's Just A Little Luck scored her fourth straight win at 1,000 yards at Los Alamitos on the way to winning the $35,000 Fillies & Mares Stakes Final at this distance here on Sunday night.

Racing from post number nine, Just A Little Luck went for the lead right from the start, took control as the field approached the turn, and then took off from there in route to a 2 ½ length victory over the strong closing Shared Future.

Just A Little Luck has been a horse ...



PHOENIX, AZ–DECEMBER 2, 2024–Jess Mr Mayito held well under pressure and drove home a gate-to-wire victory in the $22,500 Mark Villa Maiden Stakes at Turf Paradise on Monday afternoon.

Ridden by Andres Osuna, Jess Mr Mayito clocked an 89 speed index in 17.818 seconds. He crossed the wire first by a neck over the heavy favorite Break Even, and jockey Aaron Belloc, which paid $6.40 to win on 2-1 odds. Mr Prize Kvn, piloted by Luis Valenzuela, followed in 2 1/4 lengths back for third.

Jess Mr Mayito made one start as a two-year-old in ...



LOS ALAMITOS, CA–DECEMBER 1, 2024–Juniors Quarter Horses' Ready For It, who finished second in the first derby of the season, the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on February 17, will look to close out his sophomore campaign with a victory after posting the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 2, $158,150 Southern California Derby during Sunday's trials held here.

Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Monty Arrossa, Ready For It was razor sharp from the outside post number seven, squaring off with Foosea during the early stages of the race before pulling away to win by the third of four trials by ¾ lengths over the Arrossa-trained Foosea and in a time of :19.787 at ...



OPELOUSAS, LA–NOVEMBER 30, 2024–Two trials were held on Saturday for the $233,287 LQHBA Breeders’ Derby [RG3] at Evangeline Downs. The favorites of both trials, One Sweet Sugar and The Knockout Power won their heats, setting the two fastest times to the finals.

Leonardo Rodriguez was aboard the winners of both trials. He will have to choose his mount in the finals, which takes place on closing night, December 21, at Evangeline Downs as part of the Million Night Extravaganza.

Trainer Jeremy Derozin saddled One Sweet Sugar for ...



PHOENIX, ARIZONA–NOVEMBER 30, 2024–Twenty-one juveniles competed in three trials on Saturday at Turf Paradise for a chance to return to the $80,000-estimated AQRA Quarter Horse Futurity finals on December 23rd. Trial three proved to be the fastest of the day as Say Somthing hammered home with the fastest qualifying time of 17.593 and Four Sweet Kid followed with the second fastest time of 17.681.

Ridden by Luis Valenzuela, Say Somthing defeated Four Sweet Kid by a 1/2-length on the outside, clocking a 95 speed index. The 350-yard ...



OPELOUSAS, LA –NOVEMBER 29, 2024–Fast Dashin Colt (9-1), an $18,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate, set the fastest qualifying time for the restricted Grade 1 $1-million LQHBA Louisiana Million Futurity Friday evening at Evangeline Downs.

The 10 fastest qualifiers, from 12 trial races for state-bred 2-year-olds contested at 400 yards, will return to Evangeline Downs on Saturday, December 21, to vie for the winner's purse valued at ...



PHOENIX, AZ—NOVEMBER 29, 2024—Multiple stakes winner Jessaprimadonna picked up her third consecutive stakes victory on Saturday when she defeated Dasha Dynasty by a neck in the $40,000 Wayne Brasher Memorial Stakes at Turf Paradise. Hot Girl Summer B was another neck back in the blanket finish to get third.

Jessaprimadonna, under jockey J.B. Botello, dueled Dasha Dynasty early to take the lead near the wire, completing the 300 yards in 15.597 seconds, a 95-speed index. 

Owner-trainer Laurie Ferguson conditions the 6-year-old daughter of multiple stakes sire One Sweet Jess. It was the 14th career win in 34 starts and the $23,600 Brasher winner's purse boosted her lifetime earnings to $152,163.

Bred in Louisiana by Leroy Janacek, Jr., from ...



LOS ALAMITOS, CA–NOVEMBER 24, 2024–"Coffee is for closers" is one of the most famous lines in the 1992 film Glengarry Glenn Ross. When it came to trials to the Grade 1, $1,832,950 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity Brown Coffeee was sizzling hot at the start and just as good when closing mightily on the way to a robust 1 ¾ length victory in the ninth of 12 trials to the meet's richest race here on Sunday night.

Owned by the partnership of Monte and Katsy Cluck and Ross Roark, Brown Coffeee was certainly the flavor of the night, as he led every step of the 400-yard on the way to posting the top time of :19.765. ...



HOBBS, NM–NOVEMBER 24, 2024–Race four, the $60,000 New Mexico Classic Quarter Horse Juvenile, was the first of seven stakes races to kick off Champion Day at Zia Park on Sunday. From a field of nine, Pavel went off as the 7-5 morning-line favorite winning the 350-yard stakes with ease over

With qualifying jockey Luis Martinez in the irons, Pavel broke from the nine hole and scored his 1 1/2-length gate-to-wire victory in 17.378 seconds. The son of Czar Cartel MV clocked a 98 speed index and the effort paid ...



OPELOUSAS, LA –NOVEMBER 23, 2024–Pk Pure Rogue popped the gates and held on to capture the $40,000 Opelousas Stakes (RG3) Saturday night at Evangeline Downs.  The card also featured four trials for the Evangeline Downs Derby (see related story).  The trials and the stake were held over a track-rated fast on a pleasant fall evening.

Pk Pure Rogue broke sharply and stayed strong in the final yards to win the Opelousas (RG3).  The stake for Louisiana-bred runners, 3-year-olds and ...



OPELOUSAS, LA –NOVEMBER 23, 2024–Graded stakes winner Shiny Nova rolled to a 1-1/4 length in the second of four trials Saturday night at Evangeline Downs to set the fastest qualifying time for the EVD Derby.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will return to the Louisiana racetrack on Saturday, December 21st, to vie for the winner's share of a $105,000-est. purse going a distance of 400 yards.

Shiny Nova drifted in then out under jockey Ali Rivera as he cleared the field to post the fastest qualifying time of 19.796 seconds, a 96-speed index. Trainer Zackary Stinebaugh, who qualified three ...



OPELOUSAS, LA–NOVEMBER 22, 2024–The Friday night card at Evangeline Downs featured 11 trials for the EVD Futurity.  The finals, with an estimated purse of over $320,000, will be contested on the meet’s closing night card on December 21.

Flyin Chilitos, with David Alvarez in the irons, was the fastest qualifier for the Evangeline Downs Futurity. The Leonel Hernandez trainee broke sharply from his rail post draw and was never threatened in the first trial of the ...



PHOENIX, AZ–NOVEMBER 18, 2024–Twenty-nine juveniles competed in four trials races at Turf Paradise on Monday afternoon for a chance to win a spot in the finals of the $80,000-estimated AQRA Turf Paradise Open Quarter Horse Futurity on December 9th, 2024.

Trainer David Gomez-Barraza named jockey Luis Martinez to ride for his stable. The team qualified three two-year-olds to return to the finals next month, including the top two fastest runners, Jess Thru A Cartel and Apollitical Iceman.

Jess Thru A Cartel won the first trial by ...



LOS ALAMITOS, CA–NOVEMBER 17, 2024–Ed Allred's London Toby had a perfect prep for the Grade 1, $600,000 Champion of Champions while the Eddie Willis-trained duo of Regina Laymon's Hooked N Gone and Francisco Lopez's One Stolin Eagle both claimed presumptive berths to the prestigious Champion of Champions during the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

London Toby was excellent in winning the first of two trials, as Allred-bred runner took the lead shortly after the start of the 400-yard race and made no mistakes from there in route to a neck victory over One Stolin Eagle in a time of :19.882. ...



AURORA, CO—NOVEMBER 17, 2024—Russel, a 3-year-old son of a leading third-crop sire Pyc Fun N Fancy, was declared the winner of the $135,620 Cherry Creek Futurity on Sunday at Arapahoe Park after Paramounte Wagon Jr was disqualified and placed last for impeding a foe.

The third fastest qualifier in the October 19 trials was Russel, who completed the 350-yard final in 18.091 seconds, a 90-speed index into a 10-mph crosswind. It was the ...



AURORA, CO—NOVEMBER 17, 2024—Fastest qualifier Presido Pete returned Sunday to win the $102,555 Lucile Rowe Derby by one length at Arapahoe Park.

Under jockey Fernando Fonseca-Soto, Presido Pete popped the gate and drifted out as he cleared the field while covering the 350 yards in 17.847 seconds, a 97-speed index into a 9 mph crosswind. It was the fifth career win for the 3-year-old son of multiple stakes sire The Marfa Lights.

Haley N. Hobbs saddled the colt for owner-breeder Francisco Cornejo. Bred in Colorado from the Wave Carver ...



GRAND PRAIRIE, TX–NOVEMBER 16, 2024–Coming off of his track record-setting time in the trials, fastest qualifier FDD Dreams returned to Lone Star Park on Saturday for a stirring head victory in the $911,868 Texas Classic Futurity [G1] finals.

Jockey Luis Martinez, who qualified FDD Dreams in the trials, returned for the mount in the finals of Lone Star Park’s richest race. After a bumped start, the duo quickly rallied down the field with a driving finish in 18.493 seconds, resulting in a 101 speed index. The post-time favorite’s victory paid $5.80.

Hard To Politic, ridden by Juan Pulido, had the early lead but was outfinished at the wire by FDD Dreams. Curls Magic Wagon, piloted by Ali Rivera, lasted for third a length behind the runner-up.

FDD Dreams has lit the ...



GRAND PRAIRIE, TX–NOVEMBER 16, 2024–Stablemates Asscher and Relentless Eagle, who shared the victory in the Grade 2 $177,300 Dash For Cash Derby on October 5, took home the lion's share of the Texas Classic 3-year-old money on Saturday night at Lone Star Park.

About an hour after Asscher was victorious in the $254,502 Texas Classic Oaks sponsored by Purina Feeds for fillies (see related story), her stablemate Relentless Eagle was equally victorious in the $328,811 Texas Classic Derby(G1) for colts & geldings. Marc Jungers trains ...