Sydney Jack is the ultimate “close, but no cigar” horse. The Texas bred filly has been close in so many finals, but she turned her luck around Thursday, November 12 in the inaugural running of the $66,000 Horseshoe Indianapolis Oaks at Horseshoe Indianapolis. The race was created to encourage ownership of good fillies with hopes of keeping them in the state as breeding stock in the future. Sydney Jack will most likely fit that mold.

Sydney Jack did everything right in her trial, winning it by one-half length with Rolando Pina aboard. She was the third fastest finisher from 20 sophomores in the trials and came into the race ready for action.

Pina was aboard again, a spot he’s been in for all five wins from Sydney Jack. They broke from post eight and were in contention early with several across the track, but it was fastest qualifier Seven Beaches and Daniel Martinez who took over and created the leadership role in the 350 yard dash. As the wire neared, Cynter of Attention and Irving Moncada began to inch up from the center of the track, but it was the quick foot of Sydney Jack from the outside that captured the most attention. She was rolling the quickest in the final strides to score the victory by a head over Seven Beaches in the four-horse photo. Suzys Kristine, the second fastest qualifier from the trials, finished third for Jockey Giovani Vazquez-Gomez. Time of the sprint was :17.561 to establish the race record moving forward.

“We (Eduardo Diaz on Eggleston’s other starter Remember Da Queen) were talking on the way back to the winner’s circle and he (Eduardo) asked me if I thought I won it,” explained Pina. “I said ‘I think I did, but I don’t want to jinx it.’ She stumbled a little out of the gate, but she got the ground underneath her pretty quick and hit the track just right and got me to the wire. I’m really happy for the owners to get this win.”

Sydney Jack was the fourth choice in the field of 10, paying $12.40 for the win. The daughter of Dulce Sin Tacha was a $12,000 purchase as a yearling at the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale by Gordon Timm. He was then joined by his grandson, Jordan, and Gabi Timm as part owners on the filly. Tim Eggleston trains the filly, who is now four for seven in 2026. It was her first career stakes victory as she pushed her career bankroll over the $109,000 mark.

“She (Sydney Jack) has won every trial she’s ever been in, but she can’t come back and win the final,” noted Vicki Lundstrum, longtime partner of Gordon Timm. “But she finally did it today. It’s our last night here this season, so it’s a great way to end the meet.”

Runner-up Seven Beaches, a daughter of Escondido Beach out of Eyem Sixes, by Sixes Liaison, finished a head behind the winner under jockey Luz Daniel Martinez. Trained by Anthony F. Cunningham for owner Pamela Brickley Hann, the Indiana-bred filly entered the final off a victory in her October 21 trial. She also won a trial for the Harley Greene Derby earlier this season and finished third in both the Blue River Derby Stakes and QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Derby. Bred by Shelly A. Chavis, Seven Beaches has won four of 16 career starts, with two seconds and three thirds, and earnings of $102,453.

Suzys Kristine finished another neck back in third under Giovani Vazquez-Gomez after steadily gaining ground in the 350-yard contest. The daughter of One Fabulous Eagle out of Suzy Cartel, by Corona Cartel, entered the race following a runner-up finish in her October 21 trial. Earlier this season, she captured the Julie Veltman Overnight Stakes on August 29 and finished second in the Paul Martin Overnight Stakes on August 4. Owned and trained by Jessica A. Vazquez, the Texas-bred filly was bred by Marshall S. Wier. She has compiled a record of two wins, two seconds and three thirds from nine career starts, with earnings of $58,028.

The Horseshoe Indianapolis Oaks was the final Quarter Horse stakes out of 34 held throughout the 2026 racing season. The meet concludes Friay, November 13 with two final Quarter Horse races to close out the year.

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Fly The Coup SI 93 has established himself among the nation’s leading first-crop sires in 2026, with his first racing-age offspring making an immediate impact in Indiana. The son of leading sire Favorite Cartel comes from one of Quarter Horse racing’s most accomplished female families.

Standing at Miller Ranch in Shipshewana, Indiana, the 8-year-old stallion ranks fifth nationally among leading first-year sires by money earned, and number one in the state, with only seven starters earning $177,498.

From just 12 foals of racing age, Fly The Coup has sired five winners, including one stakes winner and two stakes-placed runners. His offspring have averaged $25,357 per starter, an impressive beginning from only a small crop to race.

First Crop Delivers Stakes Success

Leading his first crop of money earners is Flashin Firefly, a filly out of Fire The Cartel, by Five Bar Cartel. She has won twice and earned $72,117, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity (RG3).

His leading stakes winner, Flying Beach, is a 2-year-old gelding out of Beach Birde, by Escondido Beach. Flying Beach has won twice and earned $51,735, including a victory in the Miss Roxie Little Juvenile Stakes (R) at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Another member of his first crop to race, Coup On Fire, a gelding out of Kt Perry, by Mr Jess Perry, has earned $25,004 and finished second in the QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Juvenile Stakes (R).

Other winners include Hurricane Beach, a gelding out of Thunder Beach, by Escondido Beach, who has earned $16,527 and was a finalist in the Gordon Mobley Futurity, and Jess B Flyin, a filly out of Jess Alive Bully, by Feature Mr Jess, with earnings of $10,275.

Together, the early performers have helped establish Fly The Coup as a promising young sire in Indiana's Quarter Horse breeding program.

A Son of Leading Sire Favorite Cartel

Fly The Coup is by Favorite Cartel SI 104, the Grade 1-winning son of Favorite Trick (TB). A winner of the AQHA Challenge Championship (G1), Favorite Cartel earned $607,669 before becoming one of the industry’s leading sires.

Favorite Cartel has sired 161 stakes winners and eight champions, with progeny earnings exceeding $68.4 million.

His leading runners include champion Trane Station V SI 97 ($1,754,152), three-time champion Cyber Attack SI 101 ($1,721,346) and champion Cartel Jess Rockin SI 96 ($849,101), all winners of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1).

Other champions include Tell Cartel SI 105 ($796,386), a two-time champion and winner of the Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1), and Enforce SI 102 ($758,896), winner of the Golden State Million Futurity (G1).

Drawn to his impressive pedigree, Lana Merrick Bailey, Bradbury Racing and Jimmy and Marilyn Harrel purchased Fly The Coup for $250,000 at the Ruidoso Yearling Sale.

They raced him through his 3-year-old season before the Miller Family purchased him for $42,000 at the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale with plans to stand him at stud.

Fly The Coup made 21 starts from ages 2 through 4, recording two wins, four seconds and three thirds while earning $62,185.

He qualified for the AQHA Challenge Championship (G1), El Primero Del Ano Derby (G2), Prairie Meadows Championship Challenge (G2), Canterbury Park Championship Challenge (G3) and Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity (G2).

From One of Racing's Most Influential Female Families

Beyond his sire line, Fly The Coup carries an exceptional maternal pedigree.

He is out of Babe On The Fly SI 101, a daughter of Strawfly Special who won four races and earned $246,111. She finished second in the Golden State Futurity (G1) and PCQHRA Breeders Futurity (G1), establishing herself as a successful race mare before becoming an influential broodmare.

Babe On The Fly has produced 35 winners from 52 starters, including numerous graded stakes performers and several successful breeding prospects. She is one of only three mares in Quarter Horse racing history to produce 10 or more stakes winners, joining Jess Sass Me and Remember Me Rose.

Her leading offspring include Rock You SI 102, a nine-time winner of $790,325 whose victories included the Ruidoso Derby (G1), All American Gold Cup (G1), and two editions of the Bob Moore Memorial Stakes (G2).

Another standout is Little Talks SI 94, a daughter of Favorite Cartel and full sister to Fly The Coup. She won eight of 15 starts and earned $563,897, capturing the Golden State Million Futurity (G1) and PCQHRA Breeders' Derby (G3).

Little Talks has continued the family's success as a broodmare, producing stakes winner Famous Talk SI 94 ($52,183) and stakes-placed Perfect Practice SI 103 ($62,885), among others.

Other accomplished offspring of Babe On The Fly include Ali Babe Foose SI 96 ($484,614), winner of the Ed Burke Million Juvenile Stakes and runner-up in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1); Babes SI 102 ($183,912), winner of the La Fiesta Futurity; and Fly Thru The Fire SI 108 ($140,625), a stakes-winning stallion who established a 400-yard track record at Hialeah Park.

The family also includes Devils Tower SI 98 ($412,106), who placed third in both the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1) and Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1).

Family Ties to Indiana's All-Time Leading Sire Escondido Beach

Fly The Coup's female family carries particular significance for Indiana breeders through its connection to the late Escondido Beach SI 93, Indiana's all-time leading sire.

Both stallions descend from Six On The Beach SI 106, a stakes-winning daughter of Streakin Six.

Six On The Beach produced Babe On The Fly, the dam of Fly The Coup, as well as Escondido Beach, a son of Corona Cartel. The relationship makes Babe On The Fly and Escondido Beach maternal siblings, with Fly The Coup a nephew of the influential Indiana stallion.

Owned by Sheri Miller and Bobby Cox, Escondido Beach became a cornerstone of Indiana's Quarter Horse breeding industry before he passed away in 2025.

The family connection is already evident in Fly The Coup's first crop. His stakes winner Flying Beach is out of an Escondido Beach mare, as is Hurricane Beach, giving both runners a close concentration of the influential Six On The Beach female family.

Fly The Coup's second dam, Six On The Beach, was herself a stakes winner who earned $30,955 and produced 10 winners from 13 starters.

In addition to Babe On The Fly and Escondido Beach, she produced Babe On The Beach SI 92 ($193,302), whose offspring include Dont Let Down SI 103 ($697,769), winner of the All American Derby (G1) and Dash For Cash Futurity (G1).

The family has continued to establish itself through multiple generations of graded stakes winners, providing Fly The Coup with a maternal foundation that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to produce racing ability.

Looking Ahead to the 2027 Breeding Season

Owned by the Miller Family, Fly The Coup entered stud in 2023 and stands at Miller Ranch in Shipshewana, Indiana.

His advertised breeding fee for 2027 is $2,500, with a discounted fee of $2,000 for breeders who pay by January 1.

Fly The Coup is an Indiana-bred stallion and participates in the QHRAI program, offering breeders access to Indiana's Quarter Horse racing opportunities.

With his first crop already accounting for multiple stakes performers and nearly $180,000 in earnings, Fly The Coup enters his second racing season with considerable momentum.

His early success, combined with the influence of Favorite Cartel and the proven female family of Babe On The Fly and Escondido Beach, positions him as a young stallion to watch as his offspring continue racing in 2027.

For breeding information, contact Glen Miller at Miller Ranch by calling (574) 361-9076 or emailing glenmiller12@icloud.com.

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All-time leading money-earning Quarter Horse Kj Desparado added another Grade 1 victory to his remarkable career Saturday night, holding off a determined Stetsonn by a neck in the $290,375 AQHA Racing Challenge Championship (G1) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

The 7-year-old gelding, sent off as the 6-5 favorite, completed the 440 yards in 21.063 seconds, earning a 98 speed index over a fast racing surface while facing a 4-mph headwind.

Ridden by Noe Garcia Jr. for trainer Wesley T. Giles, Kj Desparado broke sharply from post six, established an early advantage, and maintained a narrow lead through the stretch. Under a strong drive, the veteran champion turned back Stetsonn's challenge to secure the $133,573 winner's share.

The victory increased Kj Desparado's career earnings to $3,617,850, further extending his position as the richest racing American Quarter Horse in history.

Owned by John Lee, Kathy Lee, and Ruben Mares, Kj Desparado is a 7-year-old brown gelding by leading sire Apollitical Jess out of Tres Veses, by Tres Seis. He was bred in Arizona by L&L Land & Cattle.

Saturday's victory improved his career record to 19 wins, 11 seconds, and one third from 38 starts.

Kj Desparado's extraordinary racing career includes victories in the All American Futurity (G1), Texas Classic Futurity (G1), Ruidoso Derby (G1), All American Derby (G1), Texas Classic Derby (G1), All American Gold Cup (G1), and two editions of the Refrigerator Championship (G1), among other major stakes.

His latest championship triumph added another prestigious title to a career that has spanned five racing seasons and established him among the sport's all-time greats.

Stetsonn, a 4-year-old gelding by champion Jess Good Candy, turned in a determined runner-up performance, finishing a neck behind the winner and earning $58,075.

Breaking from post seven under champion jockey James A. Flores, Stetsonn raced prominently throughout, dueling with the winner before narrowly missing in the final strides.

Trained by Dean R. Frey for owners G. R. Carter Jr. and Shaena Carter, Stetsonn is a home bred for the Carters. He is out of Stella Lou, by One Famous Eagle.

Stetsonn was an $18,000 RNA at the 2023 Ruidoso Yearling Sale.

The gelding has compiled five wins and one second from 10 career starts, with earnings of $201,029. His accomplishments include a victory in the Remington Park Championship Challenge Stakes (G2), along with finalist appearances in the Ruidoso Derby (G1) and Remington Park Derby (RG1).

Scoops Dynasty completed the trifecta, finishing another half-length behind Stetsonn to earn $29,038 for owner Edward J. McNelis.

The 7-year-old gelding, ridden by Jacob Enriquez for trainer Diego Cervantes, raced in fourth early before advancing into third and holding that position by a neck.

Bred by Edward J. and Von Zae McNelis, Scoops Dynasty is by five-time world champion sire FDD Dynasty out of Bye Sweet Girl, by Dashin Bye.

An accomplished Grade 1 winner himself, Scoops Dynasty has earned $844,725 from 36 career starts, recording 11 wins, nine seconds, and four thirds.

His stakes victories include the AQHA Racing Challenge Championship (G1), two editions of the Go Man Go Handicap (G1), Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1), and Golden State Derby (G2).

Hooked N Gone finished fourth, a neck behind Scoops Dynasty, followed by Mysterious Cartel in fifth, Bold N Beautiful in sixth, Eagles Up in seventh, Bee A Freight Train in eighth, Shaundas Eagle in ninth, and Shakers No Secret in tenth.

The championship highlighted Saturday night's AQHA Racing Challenge Championship program at The Downs at Albuquerque, bringing together some of the nation's most accomplished older Quarter Horses.

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With two possible berths on the line for the Grade 1 Champion of Champions, seven outstanding Quarter Horses will be looking to secure their spots in the 440-yard race when they face off in the $20,000 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

The field for the 400-yard race has nine horses entered, but two of the entrants, Norco and Favorite Jesshawk, have already earned berths to the Champion of Champions, to be held here on Saturday, December 12.

In addition to Norco and Favorite Jesshawk, the following horses have also earned presumptive berths to the Champion of Champions: Lethal Cowboy 123, KJ Desparado, Gf Shes Sinful, Mask Mandate, Political Twist, Beuteeful, and Effortless Favorite. Effortless Favorite is the only one of these horses currently not on the grounds at Los Alamitos, which opens the possibility that a second berth is up for grabs on Sunday night. The Z. Wayne Griffin always offers at least one berth to the Champion of Champions.

From among the seven that are still vying for a Champion of Champions spot, the horse with the fastest time will earn the presumptive invite to Quarter Horse racing’s most prestigious race. If additional spots open up, then the horses with the next-fastest times will earn the invitations.

The list of hopefuls is headed by Gene Cox’s homebred Toastin Heros, a 4-year-old gelding by Valiant Hero, who began his 2026 campaign with a victory in the Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park at 440 yards on February 7. Toastin Heros followed that victory with a ¾-length win in the Restricted Grade 1 Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes at Remington Park. His other three outings have all come against some of the best fields of older runners seen in 2026. Those included a second-place finish in the Grade 1 All American Gold Cup, a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Albuquerque Fall Championship, and a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Debbie Schauf Invitational Remington Park Championship. A winner in eight of 20 career starts, Toastin Heros has earned $297,100 of his $484,747 in career earnings in 2026. He’ll start from post number three.

Stephen Harris’ Paradise Pete won the All American Gold Cup by ¾ of a length over Toastin Heros and has been at his best in his last four starts at The Downs at Albuquerque. Since the 4th of July, the Maryland-bred runner by Flying Cowboy 123 has won a top-level allowance race, won the Grade 2 Mr Jet Moore, scored his Gold Cup win, and then ran fourth after bumping in the Albuquerque Fall Championship. Top rider Jesus Rios Ayala will pilot the Harris-bred winner of seven races and $284,493. Diego Cervantes will saddle Paradise Pete from post number eight.

Ruben Mares and Kathy and John Lee’s KJ Born To Be Wild does have racing experience at Los Alamitos after running a game third in the Grade 1 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship. The Jason Giles trainee had previously raced at Albuquerque, and his efforts there included a third-place finish in the Mr Jet Moore. The 4-year-old son of Apollitical Jess ran second in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby and third in the Grade 1 All American Derby last year. Eduardo Nicasio will ride him from post six.

Outlaw Farms LLC’s Midnite Smokin is another star making his second local start. Trained by James J. Gonzales II, the sophomore gelding will be looking for an improved performance after running fourth in the Azure Three Stakes at 220 yards. Prior to his Los Alamitos debut, he ran fourth to Effortless Favorite in the All American Derby and second to Political Twist in their All American trial. Christian Cardenas will ride the gelding by The Marfa Lights from post number four.

Equestix Consulting LLC’s Invasive won the Azure Three thanks to a sensational finish and now faces the strongest field of his career. The son of Favorite Cartel does have good experience at 440 yards, having won a trial to the Rainbow Derby last year and most recently finishing third in the Grade 3 AQHA Racing California Challenge Championship. Valentin Zamudio will saddle Invasive, who’ll be ridden by Ruben Lozano.

Link Newcomb’s Cattail Cove, who at the age of nine is the oldest horse in the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials, will be making his 65th career start while hoping for a return trip to the Champion of Champions after participating in the 2022 running. The venerable runner is also only $1,470 away from going over the $900,000 mark in career earnings. The Steve Burns-bred runner is certainly the Cinderella story of this race.

Ed Allred’s Up For Everything will be looking to join his stablemate Norco in the Champion of Champions field. Trained by Scott Willoughby, Up For Everything was seventh to Norco in the Robert Boniface, but earlier this year he won the Restricted Grade 1 Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship. Meanwhile, Norco and Favorite Jesshawk are surely using this race as a tune-up for the big one, the Champion of Champions, less than a month away. The field from the rail out is as follows: Invasive, Favorite Jesshawk, Toastin Heros, Midnite Smokin, Cattail Cove, KJ Born To Be Wild, Up For Everything, Paradise Pete, and Norco.

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