Paint Me A Sinner(#30, under jockey Alejandro Medina, holds off FM Cartel Rock (#1) in the Adequan Retama Park Derby Challenge on Saturday night.

SELMA, TX —AUGUST 17, 2019 —Paint Me a Sinner returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in 2019 as the gate-to-wire winner of the $64,889 Adequan Retama Park Derby Challenge on Saturday night.

The sixth fastest qualifier from trials on July 26, Paint Me a Sinner and jockey Alejandro Medina came back to win the final in 20.060 and earned a 93 speed index in the 400-yard regional Challenge qualifier.

The winning connections of Paint Me A Sinner accept the Adequan Retama Park Derby Challenge stakes trophy.
© Coady Photography

Paint Me a Sinner ($12.60) is trained by Rolando Almanza for owner Claudia Avila. The 3-year-old filly was bred in Texas by Bob and Jerry Gaston, by Pyc Paint Your Wagon and out of Shades of Sin Tacha, by First Down Dash.

The talented filly may have won her first race as a 3-year-old, but it was not her first career stakes victory. As a 2-year-old, she was the upset winner of the $362,999 Dash for Cash Futurity (G2). She also qualified for the Sam Houston Derby (G3) in May, finishing fourth. She has now won four of her nine career starts and has earnings of $214,895.

Fastest qualifier Fm Cartel Rock made up ground but could not quite catch the winner. The One Sweet Jess colt was a head behind the winner but put a length and a half between him and Running a Wave in third.

Fm Cartel Rock was ridden by Armando Ramirez II for trainer Robi Meche. He is owned by Jose Rabian Hernandez and was bred in California by Steve Burns, DVM, out of Remember the Cartel, by Coronoa Cartel.

Fm Cartel was fifth in the Retama Juvenile Challenge last summer, his first appearance in a stakes race. Since then he has competed exclusively in trials at Evangeline, Lone Star and Retama.

Running a Wave is still a maiden in eight starts but hit the board for the fourth time in her career in her first start in a stake. The Apollitical Jess filly was ridden by Eddie Sanchez for trainer Jose Luis Sanchez III.

She is owned by Joel Valeriano, La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and Francisco Garza; Garza also bred the filly in Texas, out of the Wave Carver mare Wave Running.

Completing the field were Santander, Pamplonna, Gianni Moons U, Enid Girl, Notorious Brown Finito Dash and Boulevardier.