AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION—OCTOBER 18, 2017—The two biggest races of the past weekend – the $330,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Prairie Meadows and the $125,000 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos – shook up the AQHA Racing National Poll for older horses, as the two winners both advanced in the rankings.

Heza Dasha Fire, the 2015 world champion who went over the $2 million mark in career earnings with his victory at Los Alamitos, moved up from a tie for fourth to be a clear No. 3 behind Hold Air Hostage and Jessies First Down, respectively, in the latest poll. The 5-year-old won the Go Man Go Handicap (G1) in his previous start and was second by a head in the Spencer Childers California Breeders’ Championship (RG1) in his 2017 debut.

The Fiscal Cliff, an Iowa-bred racing on his home turf, jumped into the poll at No. 7 after earning his fourth stakes win of the year to headline the Bank of America Challenge Championships, and won with a career-high speed index of 109.

Both horses are expected to race in the $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) on December 16 at Los Alamitos.

Once again, there was virtually no change in the 2-year-old poll with All American Futurity (G1) winner Fly Baby Fly atop the rankings and two-time Grade 1 winner Eagle Jazz in second.

Several ranked horses are set to start this coming week at Lone Star Park with Tough To Bee (No. 8) entered in the trials for the Texas Classic Derby (G1) on Friday and Nymeria (No. 5) and This Is An Eagle (No. 7) among those entered in the Texas Classic Futurity (G1) trials on Saturday.

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS AND OLDER

1. HOLD AIR HOSTAGE (99)
2. JESSIES FIRST DOWN (89)
3. HEZA DASHA FIRE (71)
4. BODACIOUS EAGLE (55)
5. BH LISAS BOY (52)
6. ZOOMIN EFFORTLESSLY (42)
7. THE FISCAL CLIFF (35)
8. TOUGH TO BEE (33)
9. MAGICAL JESS (22)
10. DUPONTE (18)

FLASH N BLING (6), APOLLITICAL OK (5), HE LOOKS HOT (5), HIGH PLAINS PERRY (5), TIME FOR JESS (5), COBALT CREEK (3), JESS PAINT YOUR LIPS (3), POLITICALLY CORRUPT (1), TIME FOR WINE (1).

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS

1. FLY BABY FLY (97)
2. EAGLE JAZZ (90)
3. KVN CORONA (77)
4. UPTOWN DYNASTY (69)
5. NYMERIA (51)
6. BIGG DADDY (48)
7. THIS IS AN EAGLE (32)
8. DASHNUNDER AFULLMOON (23)
9. LA VENCEDORA (19) THREE BAR CARTEL (15)

HOTSTEPPER (8), CARRIS CARTEL (6), J FIRE UP (5), SIXES FLASH (3), FIRE AND SASS (2), JESSE LANE (2), TOGETHER TO THE END (2), HAD TO BE IVORY (1).

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, watch the AQHA Racing Newscast and visit www.aqharacing.com.