Bigg Picture powers home to win the $100,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship Stakes (G1) at Zia Park on Sunday.

©Coady Media

By StallioneSearch

HOBBS, NM–DECEMBER 14, 2025–Bigg Picture delivered a commanding wire-to-wire performance Sunday afternoon at Zia Park, leading throughout to capture the $100,000 Zia Park Quarter Horse Championship Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds and upward.

Ridden by Noe Garcia, Jr., Bigg Picture broke sharply from the gate and quickly asserted control, maintaining his advantage through the demanding 440-yard distance to score by a clear margin. The gray gelding stopped the clock in 21.015 seconds, earning a 109 speed index over a fast track. The race was contested under cloudy skies with calm conditions.

The winning connections of Bigg Picture accept the $100,000 Zia Park Championship Stakes-G1 trophy at Zia Park on Sunday. © Coady Media

Trained by Wesley Giles for owner Uno Menos, Bigg Picture is by leading sire Big Daddy Cartel and out of Astica, a multiple graded stakes-winning mare by Jesse James Jr whose resume includes victories in the Lou Wooten/Sydney Valentini Handicap (G2) and the Zia Derby (G2). Bred in New Mexico by MJ Farms, Bigg Picture earned the $57,000 winner’s share, boosting his lifetime earnings to $440,609 and improving his career record to 21-6-4-6.

He entered the race off a victory in the Namehimastreaker New Mexico Classic Championship (G1), and Sunday’s score marked the second stakes win of his career. Bigg Picture was a $120,000 graduate of the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

Jess A Salty Candy finished second after chasing the winner throughout. The gelding is by Champion sire Jess Good Candy, whose runners have earned more than $9 million, and out of This Candys Salty, a seven-time winning mare by PYC Paint Your Wagon. Trained by John Stinebaugh for owners Stacy Barr and Carol A. Addison, Jess A Salty Candy now holds a career record of 21-5-4-4 with earnings of $123,844. He was a $50,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate and earlier this year finished third in the Hill Country Classic Stakes.

Bout Ta Learn Yall finished a solid third. The gelding is by six-time all-time leading sire Apollitical Jess and out of Aquafina, a stakes-winning mare by First Down Dash. Trained by Sebastian Gonzales for owner Francisco Navarrete, Bout Ta Learn Yall now holds a career record of 16-5-3-2 with earnings of $121,108. He won the John Andreini Memorial earlier this year and closed out his 2024 season with a runner-up finish in the Lovington Stakes (G2). Bout Ta Learn Yall was a $102,000 Heritage Place Yearling Sale graduate.

Sent off as the post-time favorite, Bigg Picture returned $6.80 to win, $4.00 to place, and $3.20 to show. Jess A Salty Candy paid $15.80 and $6.60, while Bout Ta Learn Yall returned $3.40 to show. The $1 exacta with Bigg Picture over Jess A Salty Candy paid $68.40, the 50-cent trifecta returned $161.20, and the 10-cent superfecta paid $114.78.

Shakers No Secret, Macdara, Times Awasten, Hes A Jet One, Relentless Eagle, Sundanz, and Nori completed the field.

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