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© Coady Photography
BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI
HOUSTON, TX—MARCH 27, 2017—Sam Houston Race Park will open its 2017 American Quarter Horse season with a stakes doubleheader on Friday. Post time for the first race is set for 7 p.m. (CDT).
A field of nine Texas-bred distaffers has been entered in Friday’s 330-yard, $20,000 Miss Sam Houston Stakes (R). Reigning AQHA champion trainer Judd Kearl will send out Barefoot Beach, a two-time stakes winner in Louisiana last season, for owner Samuel Martinez.
Barefoot Beach is coming off of a 3-year-old campaign during which she won stakes at Evangeline Downs and Fair Grounds and was a finalist in the 440-yard, $363,000 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park. The 4-year-old daughter of Ivory James drew post 2 and will be ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo.
The complete lineup for the Miss Sam Houston, in post position order including jockey assignments--
- Sr Esmeralda (Francisco Calderon)
- Barefoot Beach (Rodrigo Vallejo)
- Kool Deal (Claudio P. Aguilar)
- Alluring Lil Menace (Manuel Gutierrez)
- Honey Ryder B (Noe Villatoro)
- Josefina Cruzin (Pedro C. Espinosa)
- Political Dynasty (Jose A. Alvarez)
- Dm Maryanna (Luis Vivanco)
- Shakem Valentine (Everardo Rodriguez).
Jrc Callas First, a 7-year-old Winners Award gelding racing for trainer Brian Stroud and his wife, Dana, will make his season debut in Friday’s 550-yard, $20,000 Harris County Stakes.
The 2014 world champion, Jrc Callas First has won 17 of 31 starts -- including all six of his outs at the 550 distance -- and he has earned $619,117. The gelding ended his 6-year-old season with a sixth-place finish, 1 1/4 lengths behind AJs High, in the 440-yard, $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Los Alamitos.
Jrc Callas First drew post 9 and will be ridden by Juan F. Garcia Jr.
The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--
- The Field Cricket (Jerry Lee Yoakum)
- Heza Bell Perry (Alfonso Lujan)
- Corona La Jolla (Rodrigo Vallejo)
- Daring And Dashing (Noe Villatoro)
- If I Were Famous (Gaspar Garcia)
- Brookstone Dash (Damian Martinez)
- Corona Continental (Donald Guynes)
- Super Sonic Patriot (Mario A. Trujillo)
- Jrc Callas First (Juan F. Garcia Jr.)
- Stolis Pro (Francisco Calderon).