Racing


Prairie Meadows Specialist Ferrari James Springs the Upset in the Keokuk Stakes
Ferrari James (#4), under jockey Oscar Delgado, winning the $46,800 Keokuk Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Prairie Meadows.

© Coady Photography
Prairie Meadows Specialist Ferrari James Springs the Upset in the Keokuk Stakes

ALTOONA, IA—AUGUST 19, 2017—All Ferrari James needed to do to score his first victory of 2017 was come home to Prairie Meadows; with a win in the $46,800 Keokuk Stakes (G3) on Saturday, the gelding is now undefeated in six starts in Iowa and is nine for 17 lifetime.

Jockey Oscar Delgado, leading rider of the Canterbury Park Quarter Horse meet, was reunited with Ferrari James for their upset victory in the feature race at Prairie Meadows over heavy favorite The Fiscal Cliff. Together, the pair won three in a row at Prairie last fall. Delgado and Ferrari James ($13.60) covered the 400-yard distance in 19.805 to earn a 91 speed index for trainer Kirt Clark and owner Alfredo Botello.

Ferrari James was bred in Oklahoma by Weetona Stanley & W. E. Smith. The 4-year-old is by Ivory James, out of Ferarri Fast Prize, by Mr Jess Perry. Ferrari James won the $84,000 Iowa Double Gold Derby and was third in the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby (RG3) in 2016.

Divas Candy Girl overcame a bumped start and finished well to take second place, a half-length behind the winner and a nose ahead of The Fiscal Cliff. Ignored on the toteboard at 35-1, Divas Candy Girl is trained by Jason Olmstead and ridden by Brayan Velazquez for owner Thomas Scheckel.

The 4-year-old filly is 13 for 21 in her career and has run second or third to Saturday’s winner in multiple starts, including a second-place finish in the Altoona Derby behind Ferrari James and a third place finish in the Iowa Double Gold behind both Ferrari James and The Fiscal Cliff.

Divas Candy Girl was bred in Oklahoma by Carl Pevehouse and Ezra Lee. She is by Spit Curl Jess, out of Some Kinda Diva, by Some Dasher, making her a full sister to champion and multiple stakes winner Spit Curl Diva.

On paper, it appeared The Fiscal Cliff could not be caught in the Keokuk; the 4-year-old Pyc Paint Your Wagon colt has won 12 of his 20 lifetime starts and has never finished worse than second at Prairie Meadows. The colt had won his previous three starts, all stakes, including the Bob Moore (G2) at Remington and the Canterbury Park Championship Challenge, earning a berth to this year’s Challenge Championship at Prairie Meadows.

Lepic bred the colt in Iowa, out of the Shazoom mare Signs Zoomer.

Completing the field were Bye Bye Birdy, Bye Byefreighttrain, Blacks Cartel, Sicario, Vf Eyebaman, Watch My Wallet Loto, Im Beau Brown and Southern Lulu. Boogies Special Dash was scratched.