Racing Preview

The Monday afternoon card at Will Rogers Downs will feature ten races, highlighted by the inaugural trials for the Will Rogers Oaks. Twenty-six sophomore fillies will compete in three trial heats, with races six through eight run at 440 yards. The ten fastest qualifiers will advance to the inaugural $50,000-added Will Rogers Oaks on October 19.

The Monday afternoon card at Will Rogers Downs will feature ten races, highlighted by the inaugural Will Rogers Oaks trials.

A familiar rivalry will take center stage Sunday afternoon at Hipódromo de las Américas, where a field of five 3-year-old Quarter Horses will line up for the IV Derby Alfredo Castro Rea.

The Saturday evening card at Lone Star Park will feature a 12-race program, with first post at 6:05 p.m. The night’s featured event will bring together ten Texas-Breds in the Restricted Grade 3 $50,000 B.F. Phillips, Jr. Stakes.

Jockey Tony Phillips was fairly certain he had won the photo finish aboard IMPERIAL MIRACLE in the second Trial for the Alex Picov Futurity at Ajax Downs on September 30. Corry Beland, aboard BAREF HURRICANE RUSH, wasn't sure if they held on at the end of the testing 400-yard dash.
After several minutes, the race was deemed a dead heat by the stewards, adding to what should be an intriguing Picov Futurity final on Oct. 21.

The first Picov Futurity Trial was won by the heavily favoured HAD TO BE VALIANT, a filly owned and bred by Carol and Jaime Roberston who remained undefeated from three races.

"I don't know how that happened," said Phillips about his race on James Bogar's Imperial Miracle. "I thought I won clear." Imperial Miracle, third in her first career start in early August, is a towering, black filly by the Thoroughbred millionaire Imperial Hint and she was closing fast on Baref Hurricane Rush, who was coasting on the lead.

"She's gotten better every race," said Beland, who is in his first year of riding. "Maybe we'll have to stick out our tongue out at the wire next time."

Baref Hurricane Rush is a homebred for Earl Foster and she is trained by Cory Illman. Coincidentally, Cory and Corry were involved in a dead heat the previous week with Runaway Sugarman,
The time of the Imperial Miracle/Baref Hurricane Rush Futurity Trial was 20.633 for an 82 speed index, slightly faster than the time clocked by Had to Be Valiant.

A winner of the Ontario Bred Futurity in July, Had to Be Valiant was coming off a two-month vacation for her Trial and she made up enough ground in the late stages to win by a nose over newcomer Bnb Jessagoldheart. The latter was disqualified from second place for interference, moving Bogar's My Gypsy Girl up to second place and Cold Hard Chief to third.
Had to Be Valiant was one of four winners ridden by leading jockey Ismael Mosqueira on the afternoon. Her time was 20.758 for a 79 speed index.
The top 10 fastest qualifiers will compete in the final.
Mosqueira's four wins gave him 28 for the season, nine ahead of Cristian Benitez (19) and 11 ahead of Brian Bell. The trainer's race at Ajax Downs is a good one with Joe Tavares holding a slim lead over Jason Pascoe, 31 to 29. Tavares is the leading owner with three racing days left in the season with 22 wins and $216,679 in purses.
Racing continues at Ajax Downs next Wednesday, Oct. 7, with a 12:55 first race post time.

*Coming up on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12, is PUMPKIN DAY, benefiting the United Way. The first 100 kids will receive a pumpkin to decorate plus there will be giveaways, a Turkey vs. Chicken race with jockeys in costumes, and tons of family fun with a huge Quarter Horse racing card. There is a food drive or gently-used/new clothing drive and donations will receive a $5 betting voucher.

For more information on how you can become a Quarter Horse owner, contact the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario about the First Line Racing Syndicate at (905) 426-7050.

To read the latest news about racing at Ajax Downs, get the latest dates and events, or reserve a picnic table on one of our bigger days ($25), visit our website, www.ajaxdowns.com. You can watch and wager on Ajax Downs racing trackside and up close to the action or through www.HPIBet.com.

Led by Grade 1 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity runner-up Faultless, Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity winner AJ Your Favorite, and Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity winner Call Me Candela, a tremendous group of 112 juveniles will take center stage in a tremendous night of trials for the Grade 1, $1,164,150 Golden State Million Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

The Saturday evening card at Albuquerque Downs will feature nine races, with first post at 6:05 p.m. The night will be highlighted by one of the meet’s premier events, the Grade 1 $350,000 Downs at Albuquerque Fall Quarter Horse Championship Stakes.

The opening weekend of the Evangeline Downs meet will kick off Friday and Saturday, with first post set for 5:35 p.m. both evenings. Saturday’s program will feature the first stakes action of the new meet, as a field of six lines up for the $20,000 EVD Dash Stakes.

Evangeline Downs will kick off the American Quarter Horse season on Friday, October 2. The season will cover 46 days of racing and finishes with a monster card of 12 stake races, including the $1,000,000 LQHBA Louisiana Million, on closing night December 19. Numerous stake races and fun nights for families are scheduled for the season.

The 2-year-old Quarter Horses take the stage at Ajax Downs this Wednesday, September 30 in two Trials for the upcoming $55,000-added Alex Picov Memorial Futurity. The fastest 10 times from the pair of 400-yard Trials will advance to the final on closing day of the season, October 21.

The Picov Futurity Trials are part of a nine-race card at Ajax Downs with first race post of 12:55 p.m.

Youngsters from the Carol, Jaime, and Bryn Robertson team are formidable entrants in each Trial. Undefeated Had To Be Valiant has had a short vacation since she won the Ontario Bred Futurity in July, and she will be a popular choice by the public in race 3, the first Trial. One of her main challengers will be Cold Hard Chief, owned by Katie Browne and trained by Jason Pascoe. Cold Hard Chief was fourth in the Ontario Sires Stakes Futurity after a slow start, and he figures to appreciate the longer distance.

The second Trial, race 4, is led by Stolen Ivory S Dash, an easy winner of the Ontario Sires Stakes Futurity for the Robertsons. The flashy gelding is the only winner in the field, but stakes-placed Baref Hurricane Rush, owned and bred by Earl Foster, was a close second to Had to Be Valiant in her most recent start and looms a contender.

Will Rogers Downs will showcase a stakes-packed Monday afternoon program, highlighted by the $75,000 Mystery Futurity and three AQHA Challenge stakes races.

The Sunday afternoon program at Hipódromo de las Américas will feature seven trial heats for the Futurity Desafío Crianza Mexicana-RG3, with Mexico-bred Quarter Horse juveniles racing for a place in the $136,811 final.

The Saturday evening card at Albuquerque Downs will feature nine races, with the first post at 6:05 p.m. The spotlight will be on a talented group of older New Mexico-breds in the $70,000 First Moonflash Maturity.

Saturday afternoon at Sweetwater Downs promises a major day for juvenile Quarter Horse racing, featuring an 11-race program highlighted by a pair of lucrative futurity finals and two $25,000 consolation stakes. First post is set for 1:00 p.m.

The spotlight will shine brightly on Iowa-bred Quarter Horses Saturday afternoon at Prairie Meadows, where a five-race stakes showcase will feature some of the state’s top juveniles, sophomores and older runners. The action begins at 4:00 p.m., with more than $479,000 in stakes purses on the line across the first five races of the program.

Prairie Meadows is set for a stakes-packed Friday evening, with a 14-race program bringing together some of the region’s top Quarter Horses and first post scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

A place in the La Fiesta finals will be on the line Friday afternoon at Albuquerque Downs, where 111 Quarter Horses are set to compete across a 12-race card. First post is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Paint and Appaloosa juveniles will step into the spotlight Thursday afternoon at Lone Star Park, where a competitive field of eight lines up for the $15,000 TPHBA I’m Single Juvenile Stakes.

Some of the top older horses at AJAX DOWNS are in action this Wednesday, September 23, making their final start before a date in the prestigious Alex Picov Memorial Championship on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12.