ALTOONA, IA—Shipping in off a fourth place effort in a Bonus Challenge race at Hazel Park last month, Abundanz finished strongly to defeat multiple graded winner Ajs High in the Grade 2 $74,340 Bank of America Prairie Meadows Challenge Championship Saturday afternoon at Prairie Meadows. Tempting Valor led early before finishing a game third, three-quarter off the leaders.

Getting his second stakes win of the afternoon, jockey Oscar Delgado piloted the Corona Cartel 4-year-old to his first career stakes win. The sorrel gelding completed the 440 yards in :21.496 seconds, a 104-speed index into a 15 mph crosswind.

The victory also secures Abundanz a starting spot in the Grade 1 $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship October 29th at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Julio Almanza trains the gelding for owners Gustavo Almanza, Jr. and Raul Francisco Hernandez. The $34,196 winner's purse nearly doubled Abundanz' earnings total to $71,817.

Bred in Oklahoma by Stephen Williams, from the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess A Lil Bit More, Abundanz has compiled a (20) 4-4-4 record.

Michael Teel's Ajs High earned a starting spot in the Grade 1 Bank of America Challenge Championship earlier this year at Canterbury Park. The son of leading third crop sire Apolltical Jess is trained by Charley Hunt and ridden by Stormy Smith.

The multiple graded stakes winner picked up $14,868 for his second place effort today, pushing his earnings mark to $519,574. The Oklahoma-bred gelding is from the Rare Form mare Regally Rare. He has won 12 of 19 career starts.

Stacy Charette-Hill, who already saddled two stakes winners on Saturday Prairie Meadows card (see related story), conditions third place finisher Tempting Valor for owners Vicki Tebow and Matt Ratliff.

Jorge Torres rode the graded stakes-placed son of champion sire Tempting Dash from the Strawfly Special mare Thanks Jens. Bred in Oklahoma, by Luis Gerardo Aguirre, Tempting Valor picked up $7,434 to push his earnings total to $115,412.

Abundanz paid $20.80 to win, $10 to place and $3.60 to show. Ajs High paid $2.20 and $2.20 and Tempting Valor paid $3.60 to show.

Burst Of Dash, Habits Secret, Your Just Jesse, A Royal Country Man, Crying Eagle, Gospel Howdy and Jz Zoomin Wootan completed the official order of finish.