Challenge


Stacy Charette-Hill Saddles Two Prairie Meadows Challenge Winners on Saturday for Michael Pohl
Jess Paint Your Lips, under jockey Jorge Torres, dominated the $36,720 Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge Saturday afternoon.

© Coady Photography
Stacy Charette-Hill Saddles Two Prairie Meadows Challenge Winners on Saturday for Michael Pohl

ALTOONA, IA—Trainer Stacy Charette-Hill saddled two Challenge stakes winner on Saturday with Jess Paint Your Lips taking the $36,720 Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge and Honeymoon Candy winning the $32,580 Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge. Breeder Michael Pohl owns the two runners with partners.

Both horse are now qualified to compete in the Bank of America Challenge Championship Night at Los Alamitos Race Course on October 29th. Jess Paint Your Lips could start in the $200,000 Guaranteed Adequan Derby Challenge Championship(G2) and Honeymoon Candy could complete in the Grade 1 $125,000 Guaranteed Merial Distaff Challenge Championship.

Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge

The lightly raced Jess Paint Your Lips got her fourth win five starts after a dominating 3¼-length effort over Pyc Mischief in the $36,720 Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge. Fowl Play finished a nose back in third.

Winning trainer Stacy Charette-Hill and jockey Jorge Torres accept the Adequan Prairie Meadows Juvenile stakes trophy on Saturday. © Coady Photography
Ridden by jockey Jorge Torres, Jess Paint Your Lips completed the 400 yards in :19.541 seconds to earn a 97-speed index into a 20 mph crosswind. The $16,524 winner's purse boosted the Charette-Hill trainee's lifetime mark to $47,722.

The daughter of multiple stakes sire Jess Louisiana Blue races for Michael Pohl and Leann Burns. Pohl bred the sorrel filly in Oklahoma from the Corona Cartel mare Paint Your Lips.

Owned-and-trained by Roberto Gomez, Pyc Mischief earned $7,344 for his second place effort. Roberto Valero rode the Pyc Paint Your Wagon gelding out of Meddlin Mischief by Dash For Cash. Mercy Hinklins Horse Farm, LLC bred the colt in Texas.

Fowl Play, a Royal Shake Em gelding from the Southern Cartel mare Behavin Cartel, picked up $3,672 for owner/breeder Casey Foster. Robert Don Johnson trains with Cody Smith getting the riding call.

Tres Sea, Justified, Sister Shelly, Ms Dynasty, Waves Copilot, Ivory Charmer and Shezawinesnob completed the field.

Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge

Michael and Donalda Pohl's Honeymoon Candy defeated Bye Bye Birdy by a head to get her first career stakes win in the $32,580 Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge Saturday afternoon. Blacks Cartel was a neck back in the blanket finish to take third.

Honeymoon Candy, under jockey Oscar Delgado, winning the $32,580 Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge Saturday afternoon. © Coady Photography
Jockey Oscar Delgado had the riding call for trainer Charette-Hill. The bay daughter of leading sire Pyc Paint Your Wagon covered the 400 yards in :19.676 seconds, a 93 speed index into a 15 mph crosswind. It was the fifth career win for the Oklahoma-bred filly and the $14,661 winner's purse brings her bankroll to nearly $85,000.

Michael Pohl bred Honeymoon Candy from the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess Send Candy. She is a half-sister to champion grade 1 winner Jess Good Candy who was retired from racing last week after a perfect 8-for-8 record while earning more than $2 million.

Coming off a win in the Merial Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge in July, Bye Bye Birdy races for owner Barbara Barley and trainer Larry Sharp. The Hawkinson filly has already earned a ticket to the Bank of America Challenge Championships on October 29th.

The winning connections of Honeymoon Candy accept the Merial Prairie Meadows Distaff stakes trophy on Saturday.
© Coady Photography
Stormy Smith rode the Missouri-bred filly out of Sweet Bye And Bye, by Zevi (TB). She has compiled a (18) 4-5-5 record and the second place check of $6,516 brought her earnings mark to $92,074.

Minnesota-bred Blacks Cartel races for owner Tracy Black and is conditioned by trainer Casey Black. David Pinon rode the Streakin Six Cartel 3-year-old out of Brandi Whiz, by Oh My Gee Whiz. Bred by Don and Eileen Black, Blacks Cartel earned $3,258 for the effort. The stakes-placed filly has earned nearly $51,000.

Send Me This Wagon, Fantsy Pants, Fortune In A Wagon, One Famous Girl, Shiner Blond, This Doll Ca Run, I Cant Help It and Countless Menace completed the field.