Jess Drive turned in the fastest qualifying time Friday night as four trials were contested for the $150,000-est. Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park.

The trials, contested at 440 yards for 3-year-olds, determined the 10 fastest qualifiers who will return for the Dash For Cash Derby (G2) final on Saturday, October 10.

Jess Drive delivered the night's fastest performance in the third trial, pulling ahead late to defeat Docs Magic Card by one length. The bay gelding stopped the timer in :21.656 while racing into a 4-mph headwind.

Claudio Ponce Aguilar rode Jess Drive for trainer Victor G. Fierro and owner Eleazar Martinez, Sr. Richard and Janelle Simon bred the Louisiana-bred son of multiple stakes sire You Drive I Fly from Jonna, by Spit Curl Jess.

A $18,000 graduate of the 2024 LQHBA Yearling Sale, Jess Drive improved his career record to four wins, one second and two thirds from 11 starts and has earned $57,372. He was third in the TQHA Sires' Cup Derby (G3) earlier this year and was also a finalist in the Sam Houston Derby (G2).

Docs Magic Card, who finished second to Jess Drive in trial three, posted the second-fastest qualifying time of :21.806. The 3-year-old filly battled on the front end before yielding to the winner.

Adrian Hernandez owns Docs Magic Card, who is trained by Braulio Hernandez and was ridden by Angel A. Fierro. Pierre and Leslie Amestoy or Irving Fournier bred the New Mexico-bred daughter of multiple stakes sire Docs Best Card from Silk Stocking Street, by Ivory James.

Docs Magic Card sold for $10,000 at the 2026 Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale. She has compiled a record of one win, three seconds and one third from six starts while earning $24,285. She was a finalist in the Gillespie County Fair Derby.

Royalist posted the third-fastest qualifying time when he drew clear to win the fourth trial by three-quarters of a length in :21.809 while facing a 5-mph headwind.

Luis L. Vivanco rode the sorrel colt for trainer Ben Olaveson and owner Hector Reina. Veronica Gail Kawananakoa bred Royalist in California. The 3-year-old is by leading sire Corona Cartel from Zigfield Follies, by One Famous Eagle.

A $120,000 graduate of the 2024 Los Alamitos Equine Sale Mixed Sale, Royalist has won six of 13 career starts with four seconds and earnings of $180,469.

Ding Dang Dulce rounded out the four fastest qualifiers after surging late to win the opening trial in :21.825. Forced inward early, the sorrel gelding tipped outside before finishing strongly to defeat Aj Big Cash by a neck while running into an 8-mph headwind.

Fernando Fonseca-Soto rode Ding Dang Dulce for owner-trainer Haley N. Hobbs. Neff Hogue Farm LLC bred the Oklahoma-bred son of Dulce Sin Tacha from Valiant Strawfly, by Valiant Hero.

Ding Dang Dulce was a $10,000 Heritage Place Yearling Sale graduate. He has won eight of 15 career starts with two seconds and one third and earnings of $116,246. His stakes résumé includes victories in the Northlands Futurity and Canterbury Park Derby. He was also second in the Laico Bird Stakes (G3), third in the East Jet Stakes (RG3), and a finalist in the Mr Master Bug Stakes (G3).

The remaining qualifiers, in order of time, were Aj Big Cash (:21.867), Rf Runaway Cowboy (:21.872), Karma Cha Ching (:21.891), Expenssive Boots (:21.900), Toby Two (:21.911), and Brother Gaga (:21.941).

Rf Runaway Cowboy won the second trial in :21.872.

CLICK HERE for a complete list of qualifiers with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, and jockeys.

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JJ Apollitical Snow SI 92, a Grade 3 finalist and son of all-time leading sire Apollitical Jess, has joined the StallioneSearch.com Member Stallion roster as he prepares to begin his breeding career in 2027.

The 4-year-old gray stallion, owned by J & J Stables LLC, will continue racing through the remainder of the 2026 season before entering stud next year at J & J Stables LLC near Keithville, Louisiana.

JJ Apollitical Snow will stand his introductory season for a fee of $1,000, with an additional incentive available to early breeders. The first 25 mares booked for the 2027 breeding season will receive a $250 discount.

A Louisiana-bred son of legendary sire Apollitical Jess, JJ Apollitical Snow is out of multiple stakes winner Snow Regard SI 96, by Chicks Regard.

JJ Apollitical Snow has compiled a record of three wins, four seconds and one third from 24 starts while earning $38,982 through September 10. He was named the East Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Colt in 2025 and was a finalist in the Grade 3 Firecracker Derby and G.C.F.A. Dutchman Stakes.

As a 2-year-old, JJ Apollitical Snow won twice and finished second three times from 10 starts, earning $24,740. He added another victory and a runner-up finish during his 3-year-old campaign, earning $14,142.

His sire, Apollitical Jess SI 107, needs little introduction. The World Champion and $1.39 million earner has established himself among the most influential sires in Quarter Horse racing history. Through September 2026, Apollitical Jess has sired 177 stakes winners, 14 champions and earners of more than $88.6 million.

His leading runners include two-time champion and All American Futurity (G1) winner KJ Desparado SI 118, with earnings of more than $3.47 million; World Champion Empressum SI 111, an earner of more than $2.7 million; three-time champion and All American Futurity (G1) winner Apocalyptical Jess SI 103, with earnings exceeding $2.25 million; and two-time champion Political Twist SI 105, winner of the Ruidoso Futurity (G1) and more than $1.66 million through his 3-year-old season.

Apollitical Jess has also firmly established himself as a sire of sires, with his sons increasingly making their mark at stud. His influence is led by Flying Cowboy 123, currently the No. 1 leading sire of money earners in 2026, while fellow sons KJ Mucho Macho Man and Chilitos have emerged among the industry's leading young sires. Champion Apollitical Blood, winner of the All American Derby (G1), has also developed into a successful sire and leading sire of champions.

Together, their success provides further evidence that Apollitical Jess is not only producing elite racehorses but also establishing a powerful and increasingly important sire line within the Quarter Horse industry.

JJ Apollitical Snow also brings a strong New Mexico stakes family to the breeding shed through his dam.

Snow Regard won four races and earned $241,205 while earning Superior Race Horse honors. She won the New Mexico Fillies & Mares Championship (RG1) and Sunburst Stakes and finished second in the Lou Wooten Handicap (RG1), New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) and Jimmy Drake Stakes.

Snow Regard was also named New Mexico Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Filly and New Mexico Hi-Point Aged Mare.

The daughter of Chicks Regard has produced eight ROM from 11 starters, including JJ Apollitical Snow. Her other winners include JJ Coronas Snow SI 99, a three-time winner, and JJ First Down Dash SI 81, by legendary First Down Dash.

JJ Apollitical Snow's second dam, Sha Hooy Hooy SI 103, is a Major Rime mare and a half-sister to stakes-placed Blazin Force SI 102, an earner of $91,687.

With the combination of Apollitical Jess on top and an accomplished stakes-winning female family underneath, JJ Apollitical Snow offers Louisiana breeders a young stallion prospect with both racing credentials and proven bloodlines.

JJ Apollitical Snow will stand the 2027 breeding season at J & J Stables LLC, 14021 Johns Gin Road, Keithville, Louisiana 71047. His fee is $1,000, with the first 25 mares booked receiving a $250 discount.

For additional information or breeding inquiries, contact farm manager, Lexus Delbosque, at (469) 716-4101 or email jjstablesllc@gmail.com.

CLICK HERE to visit JJ Apollitical Snow's StallioneSearch.com Member Stallion page.

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BP Jet Liner pressed the pace before surging to a head victory in Tuesday’s $30,000 John Deere Horseshoe Juvenile Challenge at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Ridden by Luis Eduardo Luna Diaz, BP Jet Liner completed the 350 yards in :18.012, earning an 86 speed index over a fast track. The Samuel Mendoza trainee collected the $16,500 winner’s share for owner Jose Brizuela Jr.

The victory also earned BP Jet Liner a berth in the $150,000-est. John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2), which will be contested at The Downs at Albuquerque during AQHA Challenge Championship Night on October 15.

BP Jet Liner has won two of six career starts and earned $30,925. He was also a finalist in the Grade 3 Laico Bird Stakes.

Bred in Oklahoma by Bill Price, BP Jet Liner is a 2-year-old son of Flying Cowboy 123 from the Tempting Dash mare Hf Stormi Daniels. Brizuela purchased the brown colt for $75,000 in the 2025 Heritage Place Yearling Sale.

Fatimaa finished a head behind the winner and earned $6,000 for runner-up honors. The One Fabulous Eagle filly, ridden by Giovani Vazquez-Gomez for trainer Jessica A. Vazquez, has finished second in each of her three career starts.

Kidd Ranch bred Fatimaa, who is owned by LG Racing LLC. She is out of Kr Calamity, a daughter of Foose.

Apollitical Fast finished a neck behind Fatimaa in third and earned $3,000. The Anthony F. Cunningham-trained filly, ridden by Isidro Banuelos, has won twice and placed third three times in six starts, earning $21,345. She also won the Mari Hulman George Overnight Stakes.

Owner-breeder Brian L. Gunder bred Apollitical Fast, a daughter of Apollitical Blood from the Heza Fast Dash mare McM Sheza Fast Cutie. Apollitical Fast held third by a neck over Cyber Affair.

Cyber Affair, Temptstepper Z, Texas Swagger 123, Iriss Rose, Wheelz Up Sm, Thunder Bay, and Kissmeoverpolitics completed the order of finish.

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The starting gates are officially swinging open for the start of the 2026 American Quarter Horse Association racing season at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs. The 28-day meet runs through Nov. 17, bringing higher purses and some of the region’s fastest Paint, Appaloosa and Quarter Horses back to the Claremore track.

The 2026 Will Rogers Downs fall racing schedule features average daily purses around $150,000. Racing will be conducted regularly on Mondays and Tuesdays, with Sunday racing beginning on Sept. 27, creating a three-day race week. First post will be at 12:00 p.m.

"The return of Quarter Horse racing this fall at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs figures to be well received,” said John Lies, director of racing for Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs. “Last fall we experienced an increase in field size, and the strength of our stall applications and trainer feedback indicate we may be able to take another step forward in delivering more competitive, high-quality racing our fans have come to expect in Claremore.”

Three sets of trials for American Quarter Horse Association championship races will be offered in the first week, including Distaff Challenge Trials, the Juvenile Challenge Trials and the Derby Challenge Trials.

Overnight purses have been increased across the board for all races, including the Miss Ellen Stakes and the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association (OQHRA) Fall Classic, which both move from $24,000 to $30,000 for 2026.

Tuesday, Nov. 17, will close out the season with a final schedule that includes the $15,000-Added Speedhorse Paint and Appaloosa Futurity Championship Final, the $25,000-Added Mystery Derby Final, and the Black Gold Futurity Championship and the Black Gold Fillies Futurity Championship, both with a $123,750-Added purse.

For more information on the 2026 Quarter Horse racing season at Will Rogers Downs, visit https://www.cherokeecasino.com/games/horse-racing.

With more than 250 games, live music, heart-pounding horse racing action and impeccable service, Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs is your source of entertainment. The casino and track are both located three miles east of Claremore on Hwy. 20. For more information, visit www.cherokeecasino.com and click on the Will Rogers Downs tab, or call (918) 283-8800.

About Cherokee Nation Entertainment

Cherokee Nation Entertainment is the gaming and hospitality company of the Cherokee Nation. What began as a small bingo hall in Roland, Oklahoma, has evolved into one of the region’s largest and most dynamic gaming and hospitality enterprises, generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue, employing over 4,000 people, and welcoming more than 10 million visitors each year. With more than three decades of experience delivering world-class entertainment, CNE owns and operates the renowned Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa and nine Cherokee Casinos throughout Oklahoma, including a racino, three resort hotels, a championship golf course, and a variety of dining, retail and entertainment venues. CNE also operates Gold Strike Casino & Resort in Tunica, Mississippi, one of the most recognized gaming destinations in the Mid-South. As a key economic engine for the Cherokee Nation, CNE is deeply committed to improving the lives of Cherokee citizens and strengthening communities through job creation, cultural preservation and reinvestment in vital services. For more information, visit HardRockCasinoTulsa.com, CherokeeCasino.com and GoldStrike.com.

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