Two trials were contested Wednesday afternoon at Ajax Downs for the $60,000-added Alex Picov Memorial Futurity, with Baref Hurricane Rush and Imperial Miracle sharing the fastest qualifying time after dead-heating for the win in the second trial.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will return for the 400-yard final on October 21.

Baref Hurricane Rush and Imperial Miracle hit the wire together in :20.633, earning identical 82 speed indexes.

Baref Hurricane Rush was ridden by Corry Beland for owner and breeder Earl Foster and trainer Corey Illman. The filly by Rushago is out of the Sugarman Perry mare Sugarnspicenotsonice.

The victory improved Baref Hurricane Rush's record to 3-1-1-1 with $14,579 in earnings. She entered the trials off a runner-up finish in the Ontario Bred Futurity.

Imperial Miracle was ridden by Tony Phillips for owner, breeder and trainer James Bogar. The Ontario-bred filly is by Thoroughbred stallion Imperial Hint and out of the Dean Miracle mare Go For Miracles.

The dead-heat victory marked Imperial Miracle's first win from two career starts and increased her earnings to $5,415.

Had To Be Valiant posted the third-fastest qualifying time after taking the opening trial by a nose under Ismael Mosqueira. The filly stopped the clock in :20.758.

A homebred for Carol and Jaime Robertson, Had To Be Valiant is trained by Bryn Robertson. She is by One Valiant Hero and out of the Five Bar Cartel mare Five Bar Fandango. Her second dam is AQHA Dam of Distinction Had To Be Fandango.

Coming off a victory in the Ontario Bred Futurity, Had To Be Valiant remains undefeated through her first three starts and has earned $29,012.

The $60,000-added Alex Picov Memorial Futurity final is scheduled for October 21 at Ajax Downs.

VIEW FULL LIST OF QUALIFIERS HERE!

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Stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Fast Flyer 123 SI 111, a son of leading sire Flying Cowboy 123 from Grade 1 winner Uptowne Babe, has been retired from racing and will enter stud in 2027 at Scarlett Hill Farm near Weatherford, Texas.

The 4-year-old sorrel stallion, owned by Florentino Leon, will stand his introductory season for a fee of $1,500. He is accredited to the Texas Bred, Speedhorse, OQHRA, Bitterroot, and MQHRA programs.

Fast Flyer 123 retires with four wins, three seconds, and two thirds from 14 career starts and earnings of $112,094.

He enjoyed his best season at 3, winning three of five starts, including the Gillespie County Fair Sprint Classic Stakes, where he established a new track record of :13.011 for 250 yards. He also finished second in the Sam Houston Derby(G3).

Fast Flyer 123 was also a finalist in the King William Stakes(G3) and Texas Classic Juvenile Stakes during his racing career.

Son of Leading Sire Flying Cowboy 123

Fast Flyer 123 is by two-time champion Flying Cowboy 123 SI 101, winner of $965,811 and the Texas Classic Futurity(G1).

Through September 28, Flying Cowboy 123 has sired 62 stakes winners and three champions from four crops of racing age, with his runners earning more than $27.3 million.

His leading performers include two-time champion Cowboys Gun Z SI 101, winner of $1,678,945 and the All American Futurity(G1); two-time champion Lethal Cowboy 123 SI 99, winner of $1,547,872 and the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity(G1); and champion Flying Joy 1 SI 102, winner of $525,212 and the All American Oaks(G1).

Flying Cowboy 123 is also the sire of 2026 All American Futurity(G1) winner Cowboys Flying SI 111, who has earned more than $2.06 million.

From a Powerful Grade 1 Female Family

Fast Flyer 123 brings an equally accomplished female family to the breeding shed.

His dam, Uptowne Babe SI 92, by leading sire Mr Jess Perry, earned $581,404 while winning the Heritage Place Futurity(G1) and finishing second in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Futurity(R)(G1).

Fast Flyer 123 is Uptowne Babe's first stakes winner.

Uptowne Babe is a sister to Uptown Dynasty SI 98, an eight-time winner of $760,023. The son of Mr Jess Perry won the Ruidoso Futurity(G1) and Corona Cartel Derby(R) and finished second in the Rainbow Futurity(G1). He was also a finalist in the All American Futurity(G1) and Ruidoso Derby(G1).

Their dam, Ms Southern Dynasty SI 96, by five-time AQHA Racing World Champion sire FDD Dynasty, was herself a stakes winner and earned $90,028. Her other notable runners include 2026 stakes winner Mr High Five SI 105, an earner of $259,912, and Miss Famous Eagle SI 97, winner of $114,304.

The extended family also includes Priceless Feature SI 110, winner of $641,668 and the Remington Park Invitational Championship(G1), along with stakes winners Miss Southern DD, A Priceless Dash and Miss Southern Jess.

The combination gives Fast Flyer 123 the blood of Flying Cowboy 123, Mr Jess Perry and FDD Dynasty in his first three generations, backed by Grade 1-winning performance on both sides of his pedigree.

Standing at Scarlett Hill Farm

Fast Flyer 123 will stand the 2027 breeding season at Scarlett Hill Farm, 802 Scarlett Road, Weatherford, Texas 76087.

His 2027 fee has been set at $1,500.

Breeders can contact Scarlett Hill Farm at (682) 290-5750 or scarletthill@aol.com. Farm manager Gus Barakis can be reached at (817) 925-9610. Spanish-speaking breeders may contact Wendy Garcia at (682) 290-5799.

Additional information is available at ScarlettHillFarms.com.

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Js Freightrain took command in mid-stretch and held sway to win the $28,143 Cox Ranch AQHA Distaff Challenge (G3) Sunday afternoon at Will Rogers Downs.

Ridden by Ruben Castro, Js Freightrain completed the 400 yards in :19.516, earning a 104 speed index. The 4-year-old filly defeated Flying Bandida by 1 1/2 lengths, with Carpe Diem Baby another 1 3/4 lengths back in third.

Js Freightrain is trained by Samuel Mendoza for owner Marisol Alvarado. Bred in Oklahoma by Leonardo Alcala, she is by Freighttrain B and out of champion As And Js, by Apollitical Jess. She is a half-sister to Js On Fire ($265,454), winner of the Boyd Morris Stakes (RG2), and As Moonflash ($135,859), winner of the Retama Championship Challenge (G3).

The victory improved Js Freightrain's record to nine wins, two seconds and two thirds from 18 starts. The $13,790 winner's share boosted her career earnings to $297,843.

Earlier this season, Js Freightrain scored back-to-back stakes victories in the Easy Date Stakes (G2) and Rocky Heinzig Stakes.

Flying Bandida and jockey Ramiro Garcia finished second for owners Shari Burger and Vickie McBee and trainer Jason Olmstead. The 4-year-old filly chased the winner and gained ground late but could not close the gap.

Bred by Shari Burger, Flying Bandida is by Flying Cowboy 123 and out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Meaningful Memories. Coming off a runner-up finish in the Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge (G3), she now has a record of 26-6-8-3 with earnings of $220,581. She opened her 2026 campaign with a victory in the Decketta Stakes (G2).

Carpe Diem Baby, a $9,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate, finished third under Ruben Delarosa Jr. for owner/breeders Shane and Brooke Snow and trainer Janessa Muniz. The 3-year-old filly broke alertly and vied along the inside before yielding to the top two.

By Buzzinga and out of the Separatist Baby mare Baby Separatist, Carpe Diem Baby now has a record of 13-1-3-2 with earnings of $25,703. Still in search of her first stakes victory, she was a finalist in the Sam Houston Oaks earlier this season.

Aj Gold Player, Alliekat Dynasty, Fly N Cowgirl and Socially Fun completed the order of finish.

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Led by Grade 1 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity runner-up Faultless, Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity winner AJ Your Favorite, and Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity winner Call Me Candela, a tremendous group of 112 juveniles will take center stage in a tremendous night of trials for the Grade 1, $1,164,150 Golden State Million Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

The card consists of 14 trials at 400 yards, with the horses posting the 10 fastest times advancing to the Golden State Million final on Sunday, October 25. With every race on the program serving as a trial, the 14-race card features three Pick Four wagers, beginning right after the final daytime race at Santa Anita. Each trial has drawn eight entrants for a total of 112 runners competing for a berth in the Grade 1 final. The purse for this year's final will be the second richest since 2011 and the eighth highest in the race's 56-year history.

In addition to the headliners, the lineup features Ed Burke Memorial finalists Nuclear Arsenal, Zionsville, Friend Indeed, and MP Jess Rockin, alongside Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity finalist Cartel Cowgirl 123, Grade 2 West Texas Futurity finalist Chief Keef 123, and Governor’s Cup Futurity runner-up Lonely At Night. All told, 23 runners have already won a futurity trial, including seven with trial victories in major Ruidoso futurities at The Downs at Albuquerque. Sixteen of these sprinters boast experience in a graded futurity final.

The opening trial is led by Dale Winterton’s Nuclear Arsenal, a three-time winner at Los Alamitos this season who finished third in the Ed Burke Memorial. The Inspyre colt will take on Demler Quarter Horses’ Revenantly, a trial winner for the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity. J. Francisco Diaz’s Texas Cowgirl, third in the John Deere Los Alamitos Juvenile Challenge, and EG High Desert Farms’ Ed Burke Juvenile runner-up Standing With Pride are among the notable contenders in the night's first heat.

Two outstanding new arrivals square off in trial two: SR Racing Stables, LLC’s Hott Politician and La Feliz Montana Ranch and Ray Willis’ Chief Keef 123. Trained by Jason Giles, Hott Politician posted a 2¾-length victory in his All American Futurity trial and was simply unlucky not to qualify for the $3 million final. Bred by Chow Ventures, the Apollitical Jess gelding is out of a daughter of the terrific broodmare Pandorum—dam of Grade 1 winners Hotstepper, Hott Temptation, and Hotsempting. Hotstepper earned over $1.3 million with victories in both the All American Derby and Texas Classic Derby.

Meanwhile, Chief Keef 123—a gelding by Flying Cowboy 123—finished third in the West Texas Futurity, ran third in his Rainbow trial, and faced eventual All American Futurity winner Cowboys Flying in a trial for the Labor Day Classic.

Larry and Bobbie Rice’s AJ Your Favorite leads trial three following a razor-sharp win in the $300,000 Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. Ridden by Justine Klaiber—the meet’s leading Quarter Horse jockey—for trainer Eddie Willis, the Apollitical Jess filly broke cleanly from post six, established an early lead, and overcame lugging out down the stretch to win by half a length.

“She left great,” Klaiber said. “She wanted to get out at the end. That worried me a little bit, but I was trying not to keep her from running.”

Bred by Rancho El Cabresto, AJ Your Favorite is out of Favorite Wise Lady, an earner of $94,185 who finished second in the 2018 Governor’s Cup Futurity. EG High Desert Farms’ A Mere Andrea, winner of both the Ed Burke Juvenile and the California Juvenile Gold Rush, and Ed Allred’s Please Paul, a daylight maiden winner in his last outing, are among the others to watch in this heat.

The fourth trial might be the deepest and strongest heat of the evening. This lineup includes Ed Allred’s Ed Burke runner-up Faultless, Rancho El Cabresto’s unbeaten Train of Gold B, and the eye-catching filly Lethal Heiress from the barn of La Feliz Montana. Faultless missed winning the Ed Burke final by only a nose following a powerful closing effort. He was then unlucky in his PCQHRA trial, where a poor start left him with too much work to do before rallying for third behind Ed Burke winner Cv Fdddynasty Shan. Scott Willoughby saddles Faultless, who will be ridden by Gabriel Lara.

Train of Gold B, a filly by Freighttrain B, won her Ed Burke trial by a nose and returned to beat both A Mere Andrea and Standing With Pride in an allowance event on August 30. The homebred is not the quickest away from the gate, but she has shown the ability to pick up speed in a hurry and carry that momentum to the finish line. Lethal Heiress, a Favorite Cartel filly, is another who isn't a laser out of the gate, but she has proven capable of closing strongly for her connections.

In trial five, Allred’s Friend Indeed, who finished sixth in the Ed Burke final, takes on recent Albuquerque arrivals Mr Roosevelt, owned by Zane Kiehne, and Cartel Cowgirl 123, fifth in the Rainbow Futurity for owner Johnny Trotter and trainer James J. Gonzales II. Mr Roosevelt was second in the Ruidoso Juvenile back in June and has shown tremendous potential for trainer John Stinebaugh.

Rancho El Cabresto’s AJ Majesty, second to the aforementioned AJ Your Favorite in a July allowance, is among the top names in race six, while the Flying Cowboy 123 colt Quien Sabe Cowboy looks like the horse to beat in race seven. Owned by a partnership that includes past Golden State Million-winning owners Jimmy Barton, Lance Bland, and Scott Bryant, Quien Sabe Cowboy won his All American Futurity trial for trainer Marc Jungers, who previously won this race for Barton and Bland with Lethal Cowboy 123. Bred by Fulton Quien Sabe Ranches LP, Quien Sabe Cowboy is out of the blue-hen mare Pandorum. James Markum and Steve Burns’ Indiana Fever, third in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, will also line up against Quien Sabe Cowboy in this trial.

Owned and bred by MJ Farms, Antica enters as one of the most highly regarded contenders of the night. A full sister to AQHA World Champion Asscher, Antica won her Rainbow Futurity trial by daylight before making her California debut with an effortless ¾-length victory from the rail. Under the care of trainer Jason Giles, Antica looks to keep her record spotless while once again breaking from post one in trial eight.

Steve Burns’ Lonely At Night heads race nine from post nine. The homebred Favorite Cartel filly is out of the great broodmare Remember Me Rose, making her a full sister to past Golden State Million winners Enforce (2025) and Runforyourlife (2019). Lonely At Night ran a huge race in the Governor’s Cup Futurity, opening up a lead midway through before getting edged by a head at the wire. Miguel Osorio’s Call Me Candela, winner of the Kindergarten Futurity and an Ed Burke finalist, returns fresh for her first start since July 26 and will look to regain her top early-season form. This stacked trial also features PCQHRA Breeders Futurity finalist Jessonefamouseagle and trial winner Sister Rae.

Gentry Farms’ Fearless Family, Parsons Ranch’s Tynasty, and Jaime Gomez’s Apollitical Eye MRL all enter in strong form in trial 10, while the Jason Giles-trained Promising looks mighty tough in trial 11. Owned by Tungsten Racing, Barron Racing, Mario Ortega, and Empire Racing, Promising won both his All American Futurity and Ruidoso Futurity trials by a half-length. The Allred-bred gelding by Golden Boi has won three races and finished in the top three in all five of his career starts.

Promising will square off against another son of Golden Boi in trial 11, as Rancho Humilde’s Golden Token—the fastest qualifier for the Governor’s Cup—also lines up in this heat. Saul Acosta and Juan Moya’s Test Pilot, a four-time winner and PCQHRA Breeders Futurity finalist, adds even more firepower to the race.

Ed Allred’s Zionsville, the fastest qualifier for the Ed Burke Memorial, leads the way in trial 12. He’ll take on MRB Racing LLC’s Relentless Sonny D, an impressive trial winner at Sunland Park in his lone career outing, and Gamaliel Garza Garcia’s Midnight Rambler, a steady maiden who has finished on the board in all five of his lifetime starts.

In trial 13, Tungsten Racing Partnership’s El Diamante J, a wire-to-wire winner in his All American trial, aims to replicate his half-sister’s victory in the Golden State Million final. Bred by Jaime Gomez, he is a half-brother to champion J Fire Up, who won this million-dollar event in 2017. Steve Burns and Jeryl Hartley’s Ed Burke finalist MP Jess Rockin and the talented John Stinebaugh trainee Liionesss are among the other top names in the 13th heat.

The night concludes with an evenly matched group of juveniles in trial 14, headlined by PCQHRA Breeders Futurity finalist Celtic Cowboy, Rainbow trial runner-up Tempting Lilly, and recent eye-catching maiden winner Beautify. The Colorado-bred Golden Boi gelding Dios Dorado, who enters on a two-race winning streak for owners Matt and Amy Bretz alongside Brad, Ronald, and Melany Shalz, is another primary contender in the nightcap.'

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