Onthrocks, piloted by Eddie Sanchez, wins the the $56,000 TQHA 550 Stakes-G3 at Retama Park on Friday.

© Jack Coady Photography

By Leann Noguera, StallioneSearch

SELMA, TX–JULY 25, 2025–Onthrocks reaffirmed his dominance at 550 yards with a gritty repeat victory for the third consecutive year in the $56,000 TQHA 550 Stakes-RG3 held Friday evening, at Retama Park.

With Eddie Sanchez in the pilot’s seat, Onthrocks held off a late surge by Jess Rite to win the 550 stakes by a neck. The six-year-old son of A Revenant stopped the clock in 27.708 seconds, earning a 99 speed index. Racing into an eight mph headwind, Onthrocks captured the lion’s share of the purse—$33,600—for owner Sarah Huskey and trainer Esteban Rubio.

The winning connections of Embers Time accept the $56,000 TQHA 550 Stakes-G3 winning trophy on Friday at Retama Park. © Jack Coady Photography

The victory adds to an already impressive campaign that includes wins in the 2023, 2024 and now 2025 editions of the TQHA 550 as well as the Sam Houston 550 Stakes in June. The six-time stakes winner also earned a third-place finish in the Gary Baber Memorial Stakes and was a finalist in the Sam Houston Classic Stakes-G2 earlier this season.

Bred in Texas by Ware Racing & Ranching LLC, Onthrocks is out of Stol a Bunny, by Stoli

Runner-up honors went to Jess Rite, a five-year-old gelding by One Sweet Jess. The bay gelding is bred and owned by Rose Mary Chandler out of Twig, by Oak Tree Special.

Trained by Tammy Johnson and ridden by Victor Urieta, Jr., Jess Rite rallied from well off the pace to miss by a neck, clocking a 98 speed index in 27.763 seconds. The margin was a neck behind the winner, and the second-place check of $11,200 pushes his earnings past $134,000.

A finalist in eight stakes races, Jess Rite won the 2023 Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes-G2 and has hit the board in both the Sam Houston 550 and Gary Baber Memorial this season.

Finishing third was Dm Preacher Man, another six-year-old gelding by A Revenant, ridden by Eliazar Vera. He is out of Mary La Jolla, by Streakin La Jolla. The brown gelding is bred and owned in Texas by Donna Mushinski.

Trained by Kie Mushinski, Dm Preacher Man stayed close early but faded late to finish one-and-a-half lengths behind the top pair. He clocked a time of 27.979 seconds, earning a 94 speed index and a check for $6,160. He was second to Onthrocks in the Sam Houston 550 Stakes and finished fifth in the Gary Baber Memorial earlier this summer.

The remaining order of finish is Captain Tlc Aw, Lz King of the Kings, Thrill and Fury (disqualified from 4th), Daybreak N Dash, and Jess Regard.

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