Conair Cartel and jockey Victor Urieta, Jr. hold off a late charge from KJ Meduzza to capture the $50,000 Laddie Stakes on May 23 at Delta Downs.

© Hodges Photography

By Emily Paulk, StallioneSearch

VINTON, LA–MAY 23, 2026–Conair Cartel delivered another strong performance Saturday night at Delta Downs, holding off a late rally from KJ Meduzza to win the $50,000 Laddie Stakes for accredited Louisiana-bred two-year-old colts and geldings at 330 yards.

Ridden by Victor Urieta, Jr., the gelding broke sharply and quickly seized command before holding firm late to win by a neck in a time of :16.749 seconds over a sloppy sealed surface, earning a 95 speed index. The race was contested under cloudy skies with no reported wind.

Bred by Dennis Mills Partners LLC, owned by Luis Armando Castellanos, and trained by Santiago Villaseca, Conair Cartel entered the stakes after posting the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the May 2 trials.

The gelding is sired by Five Bar Cartel and out of the Rakin In The Cash mare Miss Classy Perry, a stakes-placed runner and half-sister to stakes winner Kittys Fast Dash ($137,144). He is also a full brother to stakes-placed Five Bar Perry ($151,365).

The Laddie Stakes victory improved Conair Cartel’s career record to 4-3-1-0, and the $30,000 winner’s share boosted his bankroll to $113,538. Earlier this season, he finished second in the Grade 2 Mardi Gras Futurity.

KJ Meduzza finished a strong second under jockey Jorge Garcia, closing gamely after bumping at the start to earn a 94 speed index in :16.789 seconds.

Bred by Ruse Ranch LLC and owned by J.A. Racing LLC, the gelding is trained by Miguel Pizana. A $20,000 repurchase at the LQHBA Yearling Sale, KJ Meduzza is sired by KJ Mucho Man and out of the stakes-placed Ragazzo mare Meduzza.

His female family traces to champion El Duero ($380,505). Still searching for his first stakes victory, KJ Meduzza now holds a record of 4-1-2-0 with earnings of $43,284 after previously finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Mardi Gras Futurity.

Third-place finisher Inspyrational completed the trifecta under jockey Ubaldo Luna, stopping the timer in :16.878 seconds while earning a 91 speed index. Bred by Robert Latham, owned by Israel Ovalle, and trained by Martin Trejo, the colt was a $13,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate.

The son of Inspyre is out of the winning Heza Fast Dash mare Wheres Mom and was making just the second start of his career.

Fastest qualifier Bbs Fast Prize finished fourth and was followed by Mda Cartel Patriot, Mda Five Bar Rocket, Gold Eye Eagle, Never James, and Purple N Gold Blood. Hey Hay What Ya Say was scratched from the field.

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