Challenge


Red Storm Memories Gate to Wire Winner in BHS Bank of America Bonus Challenge in Miles City
Miles City hosted the BHS Bank of America Bonus Challenge on Saturday's race card.

© Miles City
Red Storm Memories Gate to Wire Winner in BHS Bank of America Bonus Challenge in Miles City

MILES CITY, MT—MAY 19, 2018— Red Storm Memories held on to an early lead to win the $13,500 Bucking Horse Sale Bank of America Bonus Racing Challenge Stakes (non black-type), the final race on the Saturday card in Miles City.

Red Storm Memories ($11.40) and jockey Malouly Rodriguez opened with a one-length lead on the field and held on to win by a neck, fending off the post-time favorite Downside Embezzler and Barely a Secret, who finished in a dead heat for second place.

Final time for the 350-yard race was 18.459; Red Storm Memories earned an 82 speed index.

Red Storm Memories is a 6-year-old gelding by Red Storm Cat. Joshua Falls Down trains for owner Juan Chavez-Ortega. He was bred in Texas by Fletcher Huskey, out of the Leaving Memories mare Good Ole Memories.

The Bonus Challenge marked the first stakes win for Red Storm Memories; he is six for 30 lifetime with $43,069 in earnings to date. Saturday was his debut at Miles City, though he has raced a over a dozen different tracks throughout the Midwest and Intermountain region.

The dead heat for second place included the post time favorite, Downside Embezzler. The Montana-bred son of Embezzlement is trained by Robby Overturf and is owned by Jess Matt. Gonzalo Valles, Jr. had the call in Saturday’s race.

Downside Embezzler was bred in Montana by Walter Lasron, and is out of Rambling Maggie, by The Down Side. The 4-year-old colt was the 2017 winner of the Sun Downs Derby Challenge and appeared in the AQHA Derby Challenge Championship (G3) at Prairie Meadows in October.

The other half of the dead heat was Barely a Secret and jockey Luis Peralta. Bred and owned by Gerald Kaul in Wyoming, Barely a Secret is a 5-year-old mare by Brindis Por Cayenne, out of A Secret Life, by Beduino Secret. She is trained by Jesse Villegas.

Barely a Secret has finished in the money in over half of her career 23 starts, including a win in the Wyoming Bred Futurity at Sweetwater Downs in 2015.

Completing the field were Snow Phoenix, A Streakin Tres Seis, Jerrys Scooter and Go Roller Coaster.