Challenge


Hanson and Aceves’ Stakes Triple Concludes with Pocatello Downs Championship Challenge
Sign Of Corona (#2), under jockey Eddie Aceves, battles stablemate Rtm Mr Cacia (#1) to victory in the Bank of America Pocatello Challenge Championship Sunday afternoon at Pocatello Downs.

Hanson and Aceves’ Stakes Triple Concludes with Pocatello Downs Championship Challenge

POCATELLO, ID – MAY 29, 2017 - Mark Hanson and Eddie Aceves swept the three stakes at Pocatello Downs on Monday, including the final race of the card, the $40,000 Bank of America Pocatello Downs Championship Challenge.

Hanson and Aceves teamed up to bring Sign of Corona to the winner’s circle in the final race of the Pocatello meet, giving the 6-year-old gelding a berth in the $330,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) final at Prairie Meadows this fall.

Track records have been shattered repeatedly in the 2017 Pocatello Challenge series. Sign of Corona broke the 35-year-old track record for 440 yards in the first of three trials for the regional final on May 14. Time for Jesse Lee broke Sign of Corona’s record in his own trial, just two races later.

The winning connections of Sign Of Corona accept the Bank of America Challenge Championship sakes trophies on Sunday at Pocatello Downs. © Michelle Yu / Bet America

In the final, Sign of Corona returned the favor and broke Time For Jesse Lee’s record, posting a time of 21.124 for 440 yards and registering a 122 speed index.

Sign of Corona, by Coronas Fast Dash and out of the Vital Sign mare Electric Sign, was last seen in November, 2015, in the Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Lone Star after qualifying at Les Bois Park. He is owned by RTM Stables and Carol McKinney and bred in by New Mexico by Greg Creager.

Hanson scored another stakes exacta on the card, this time with Rtm Mr Caccia and jockey Uriel Dominguez in second place. Owned by RTM Stables LLC, Rtm Mr Caccia was bred in Idaho by Susan Hanson. The 5-year-old gelding is by No Secrets Here, out of Shirleys Secret, by Dashin Is Easy.

Rtm Mr Caccia finished in 21.297 and picked up a speed index of 118, finishing a length behind the winner and a neck ahead of third-place finisher Katies Easy Moves.

"I'm proud of these boys. Corona had a needed layoff and we are so lucky he came back just as good or better. Mr. Caccia is so honest and gives his all so it is nice to see him rewarded."

Katies Easy Moves, ridden by Jordan Hadley and trained by Jessica Hadley, could not catch the top two finishers but put a length and a half between him and the rest of the field. The O-So Smart LLC-owned son of Maknmoves is out of Katie Lane Finder by Lanes Leinster. The 4-year-old gelding was bred in Utah by Walter Finder.

Completing the field were Tic Tac Attack, James First Affair, Time for Jesse Lee, Unshackled Secret, Had to Be Giggles, Ferrari Prize Jive and Magic Moment Blues.