CGR Jag Wire, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, will break from post nine with jockey Eric Ayala aboard in Saturday's $120,200 Gary Waite Maiden Stakes at Wyoming Downs.

© Coady Media

By Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch

EVANSTON, WY–JULY 17, 2026–Saturday afternoon at Wyoming Downs will feature a 10-race card beginning at 1:05 p.m., highlighted by the $120,200 Gary Waite Maiden Stakes and the $58,999 AQHA 870 Challenge Stakes. The rich Gary Waite Maiden Stakes has drawn a competitive field of lightly raced runners seeking the biggest victory of their young careers, while the AQHA 870 Challenge Stakes offers its winner a berth in the AQHA Distance Challenge Championship at Albuquerque Downs on October 17.

The featured $120,200 Gary Waite Maiden Stakes is scheduled as race three at approximately 1:55 p.m. A full field of 10 three-year-olds and older will sprint 330 yards in one of the season's richest maiden races, with several runners in top form.

CGR Jag Wire has been installed as the 7-2 morning-line favorite. The three-year-old gelding has enjoyed a breakout season, winning three of his four starts in 2026, including the Maiden Frolic Stakes. Through five career starts, he has earned $29,044 and has proven himself one of the most consistent contenders in the field.

Owned and bred in Wyoming by CG Racing, LLC, CGR Jag Wire is a son of The Louisiana Cartel, out of the Mr Jess Perry mare High Spirited Jess. Jarrett Mills trains the promising gelding, who will break from post nine with jockey Eric Ayala aboard.

The afternoon also features the $58,999 AQHA 870 Challenge Stakes in race four at approximately 2:20 p.m. Seven accomplished distance specialists return from the July 2 trial heats to compete at the demanding 870-yard distance around the turn. The winner earns a coveted berth in the AQHA Distance Challenge Championship at Albuquerque Downs.

Cartel Can Fly enters the Challenge Stakes as the 3-1 morning-line favorite after winning his trial by 1¼ lengths, posting the second-fastest qualifying time. The North Dakota-bred gelding has won all three of his starts this season, including the United Tote Hook Overnight Stakes, and will aim to extend his perfect 2026 campaign for owner David L. Wisdom, trainer Robert Don Johnson, and jockey Dakota Wood.

Saturday's card offers fans an outstanding afternoon of Quarter Horse racing, highlighted by one of the richest maiden races on the Wyoming Downs calendar and a championship qualifier that will send its winner to the AQHA Distance Challenge Championship. With talented young runners and proven distance specialists sharing the spotlight, the stage is set for an exciting day of stakes competition.

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