Pocatello Downs will host Bitterroot Derby and Futurity on its closing card Sunday.

© Pocatello Downs

By Louanne Wainscott / Stallionesearch

POCATELLO, ID – July 18, 2025–The summer season at Pocatello Downs will come to a dramatic close this Sunday with an action-packed card highlighted by two premier stakes: the $22,100-added Bitterroot Derby Finals in Race Six, and the $91,200-added Bitterroot Futurity Finals in Race Seven.

Ten elite runners in each event are set to square off for supremacy in their respective age divisions, offering fans and bettors a double dose of Quarter Horse racing excitement.

The Bitterroot Derby brings together the ten fastest qualifiers from the June 29 trial heats. Leading the charge is Notin Missing Here, who scorched the field in her trial with a dominant gate-to-wire victory by 1 ¼ lengths, clocking the fastest qualifying time of the day. A daughter of Kvn Corona out of Missmerizing by Pyc Paint Your Wagon, the bay filly enters with a record of 5 wins and 3 seconds from 12 starts and earnings of $43,281—making her the second-highest earner in the field.

Breaking from the outside post ten, Notin Missing Here is owned by Michael K. McKell and trained by Sergio Canales, Pocatello’s leading conditioner, who sends out four qualifiers in the final. David Alvarez Jr. will make the return trip to pilot the talented filly.

The 2-1 second choice is Dnc Dynasty, a gelding by Duponte out of Dinastia Rose by Fdd Dynasty. He impressed with a sharp ½-length win in his trial and draws the favorable six-hole for W3 Farms. Also trained by Canales, Dnc Dynasty will be guided by Jose J. Olivo, and seeks his fifth win from a solid campaign.

Canales’ quartet of Derby qualifiers includes Heza Flashy Eagle (post 1, 5-2) and Luv Ya (post 2, 3-1), giving the top trainer a strong hand with a chance to sweep the top four positions.

The day's grand finale belongs to the Bitterroot Futurity, where the ten fastest juveniles from the trial rounds will line up over 350 yards with $91,200 in added money on the line. The showdown will spotlight a developing rivalry between the top two qualifiers: Kr Cartels Calamity and M E Kool Carter.

Installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite is Kr Cartels Calamity, who has won two of three lifetime starts, including a victory in the Beehive Futurity on April 27. The Five Bar Cartel colt, out of Kr Calamity by Foose, enters as the top earner with $42,496. Trained by Abelardo Gonzalez and ridden by Cesar T. Moreno, the colt is expected to bring a peak performance as he returns to Pocatello.

Though second fastest in the trials, M E Kool Carter delivered a gritty neck victory over Kr Cartels Calamity and remains a serious threat. The Carters Cartel gelding, out of Kool Sweet, has two wins in three starts and $6,355 in earnings for owners Dave Merritt and Kim Newman. Eric Ayala returns to ride for trainer Jarrett Mills, and they’ll launch from the outside post ten, the same gate where M E Kool Carter shined in the trials.

Post time for the Bitterroot Derby is slated for approximately 3:30 P.M., with the Bitterroot Futurity to follow around 4:00 P.M. Fans won’t want to miss the action as Pocatello Downs closes out the summer season in style.

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