Fastest qualifier Mysterious Cartel has been installed as the slight 3-1 favorite in Sunday's $170,100 Energy Downs Quarter Horse Derby this Sunday at Energy Downs 307 Horse Racing.

© Jack Coady Photography

By StallioneSearch

GILLETTE, WY—JUNE 8, 2025—An outstanding field of ten sophomores is set to contest the $170,100 Energy Downs Quarter Horse Derby this Sunday at Energy Downs 307 Horse Racing, with Race 6 going to post at 3:35 p.m. (MT).

The 350-yard feature highlights the regional Quarter Horse calendar, and all eyes will be on three standout contenders who top the morning line: Mysterious Cartel, Ojd Jess A Bug, and Kaseys Spirit.

Drawn in post seven, fastest qualifier Mysterious Cartel enters as the 3-1 morning line favorite for owner Luis Abelardo Gonzalez. Trained by Luis H. Gonzalez and ridden by Cesar T. Moreno, the Texas-bred son of multiple stakes sire Five Bar Cartel out of Mysterious Night by Valiant Hero is fresh off an impressive trial win on May 25 trials, where he posted a 100 speed index over a muddy Energy Downs surface.

Bred by J/R Robicheaux and Spanish Moss Quarter Horses, Mysterious Cartel boasts a record of four wins, three seconds, and one third from ten career starts, with earnings totaling $53,385. He was second in the Sweetwater Downs Futurity and Beehive Juvenile and third in the Far West Futurity last season.

A two-time winner already this season, the $31,000 Heritage Place 2023 September Yearling Sale graduate has developed into a consistent closer, showcasing explosive speed out of the gate and finishing power down the lane.

Just to his inside in post four is the undefeated Ojd Jess A Bug, a gelding with a perfect eight-for-eight lifetime record. Installed at 7-2 on the morning line, the Idaho-bred gelding is owned and bred by Karla Diaz-Gomez and Oscar Diaz and conditioned by Javier Fuentes. David Alvarez Jr. retains the mount.

By One Sweet Jess and out of Bugs Wagon by Pyc Paint Your Wagon, Ojd Jess A Bug has turned heads since last summer, winning the 2024 $150,500 Sweetwater Futurity with a 103 speed index. He returned to the races this spring with consecutive wins, including a razor-thin trial victory in 17.684 that confirmed his readiness to take on the region’s best 3-year-olds. With career earnings of $141,450, he is the most accomplished runner in the field.

Also unbeaten is Kaseys Spirit, who breaks from post eight with morning line odds of 9-2. The gray filly is owned and bred in Idaho by CG Racing LLC, trained by Kylie Valenzuela, and ridden by Jesus Valenzuela.

A daughter of multiple stakes sire Kvn Corona and High Spirited Jess by Mr Jess Perry, Kaseys Spirit has done all her racing at Energy Downs and remains perfect in five career starts. Her trial win on May 25 was as visually impressive as it was fast, stopping the clock in 17.801 while cruising to a 2-1/2 length victory. She previously captured the Energy Downs 307 Racing Futurity last summer and has amassed $75,822 in earnings.

Sunday’s Derby offers a winner’s share of $85,050 and represents a pivotal test for these rising stars. With undefeated records and recent sharp form, Ojd Jess A Bug and Kaseys Spirit will look to maintain their unblemished resumes, while Mysterious Cartel will attempt to seize his biggest win yet as the slight morning line favorite.

According to Equibase, the top-rated win contenders are Mysterious Cartel, Ojd Jess a Bug, and Kaseys Spirit, with Game for Tarzan also drawing support.

The race will be contested at a distance of 350 yards and features top qualifiers from the May 25 trials. With a blend of unbeaten stars and proven stakes performers, the 2025 Energy Downs Derby promises to deliver a thrilling finish worthy of its lucrative purse.
 

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