There were no twists or turns in Political Twist’s journey to victory in the Grade 1, $673,950 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Sunday night at Los Alamitos Race Course. Instead, his victory in the 400-yard classic was as straight as an arrow, as the La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and Ray Willis-owned champion delivered a masterful performance in the 73rd running of California’s richest derby.

Ridden by AQHA champion jockey Luis Martinez for trainer Manuel Rodolfo Rodriguez, Political Twist broke cleanly from post nine to take immediate control, opening a ¾-length lead shortly after the break and continuing strongly to post a ½-length victory over West Texas Racing Partners’ Enforce as the 1-2 favorite in a time of :19.524. Steve Burns, Jose Flores, Gerardo Herrera, and Javier Alvarez’s Brother Ray finished third, followed by Shiny New, Hi Octane, SG Jacob Jay, Famous Talk, Fear My Legacy, Beuteeful, and Doodah Cartel.

Before the start, SG Jacob Jay and Doodah Cartel both knocked their gate stalls open while waiting in the gate, causing a brief delay. Political Twist handled the extra time with poise before delivering his convincing victory.

“We had a really good start and had a big advantage from the break,” winning rider Luis Martinez said. “I felt some pressure from (Enforce), but as soon as I started talking to Political Twist, he responded powerfully. There was a delay before the start, but the good thing is that he waited patiently. I think compared to the trials; he was a lot more relaxed tonight. I’m so happy; winning these types of races has been a dream come true.”

The victory marked Political Twist’s first Grade 1 score in California, adding to his two previous Grade 1 victories in New Mexico. His other Grade 1 derby triumph came in the Rainbow Derby at the Downs at Albuquerque on July 11. Prior to his sophomore campaign, the gelding - sired by Apollitical Jess and out of the Tres Seis mare C Twister Seis - captured the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity at Ruidoso Downs and the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity last season.

“These moments are unforgettable,” said Javier Rodriguez of La Feliz Montana Ranch. “It’s been unbelievable, last year and now this year. The past two years have been incredible. It’s so hard to get to these moments, so hard to get to this point. The whole team is unbelievable.

“I was nervous, and I felt some nervous moments there, because there was a delay at the gate. In the end it worked out and he got the win. He’s a terrific athlete. I think for the horse, the delay helped him. Instead of him getting more anxious, it settled him down. He was ready to go and broke excellently. It was a great group of horses out there. It was tough. Enforce ran a good race.”

The Super Derby win might be the most important achievement to date for the New Mexico-bred, as it earned him presumptive berth into the prestigious Grade 1 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Saturday, December 12. His stablemate, AQHA World Champion FDD Dreams, captured the Champion of Champions last year, and Political Twist now looks firmly established as one of the early favorites for the 440-yard classic.

“It’s always hard for 3-year-olds to compete with the older horses,” Rodriguez added. “The Champion of Champions is at 440 and that’s going to be a little tougher for him. We’ll see how he comes out and hopefully everything is good and we’ll be ready for the Champion of Champions.”

Political Twist entered the Super Derby final off a brilliant trial victory on October 18, where he opened a one-length lead early and dominated while setting the fastest qualifying time (:19.573). He executed a similar blueprint in the final, improving his Southern California record to three wins from four local starts.

Now a winner of 11 of 14 career starts, the 2025 AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding earned $269,619 for the win to boost his lifetime earnings to $1,940,778, ranking him 19th on the all-time Quarter Horse earnings list. The MJ Farms-bred runner won six of eight starts during his freshman campaign and has added five wins from six starts as a sophomore for $802,348 in 2026 earnings. That figure ranks Political Twist as the nation’s second-leading money earner this year, trailing only undefeated All American Futurity winner Cowboys Flying ($2,068,793).

“For my family, this is the best thing,” Rodriguez added. “We do this as a family. We enjoy it and these are some of the best moments of my life.”

Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Chris O’Dell, Enforce earned $109,132 for his runner-up effort at odds of 17-1. Named the AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old Colt last year, the son of Favorite Cartel out of Remember Me Rose improved his career bankroll to $758,896. Bred by Steve Burns, Enforce won the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos last season.

Brother Ray, ridden by Irving Lara for trainer Jose Flores, banked $77,034 for his third-place finish. Also bred by Steve Burns, the Favorite Cartel gelding out of stakes winner Tac Out was sent off at 15-1 odds.

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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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Stakes winners Ruse Ticle Knockout, Lil Kool Marge, and Celebratingtheeagle headline a field of nine accredited Texas-bred fillies and mares entered in Saturday's $50,000-added Yellow Rose of Texas Stakes at Lone Star Park.

The 400-yard stakes, scheduled as Race 11 with a 10:25 p.m. (CST) post time, features several accomplished runners competing for one of the final major stakes opportunities of the Lone Star Park fall meeting.

Ruse Ticle Knockout, the 8-5 morning-line favorite, enters off a commanding 1 1/4-length victory in the $50,000 Will Rogers Downs Oaks on October 19. The 3-year-old filly has won four of eight starts this season, earning $170,834, and was also a finalist in the $694,000 All American Oaks (G1) in September.

Owned by Mi Serenity and trained by Marc Jungers, the daughter of Apollitical Jess out of Adolph Tres Knockout, by Tres Seis, has earned $291,290 from eight career victories. Bred by Five Puig Racing LLC, the $210,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate will be ridden by Edwin Escobedo from post one.

Lil Kool Marge, the 2-1 second choice, brings a three-race winning streak into Saturday's contest, including an October 15 allowance victory at Lone Star Park over fellow entrant Celebratingtheeagle.

The 4-year-old daughter of Lil Kool Wagon out of Country Mans Chick, by Country Chicks Man, has won four of seven starts this season. Owned and bred by Sarah Huskey and trained by Esteban Rubio, she has earned $77,133 from seven career victories. Ali Rivera rides from post two.

Celebratingtheeagle, listed at 5-1, has captured two stakes this season, winning the $56,000 Miss Sam Houston Stakes in June and the $36,000 Gillespie County Fair Fillies and Mares Stakes in August.

The 4-year-old daughter of This Is an Eagle out of Zoomin N Celebrating, by Azoom, has earned $173,900 from seven career victories. Owned by Jesus A. Molina and trained by Joseph Manucy, the Debbie Eller-bred mare was a $29,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate. Raul Ramirez Jr. rides from post four.

Trixiee (8-1), a daughter of This Is an Eagle, enters following a runner-up allowance finish at Evangeline Downs on October 23. She has earned $83,718 for owner Jesus A. Molina and trainer Joseph Manucy.

Ruse Dynasty 123 (15-1), a daughter of FDD Dynasty, finished second in the B.F. Phillips Jr. Stakes (RG3) at Lone Star Park on October 3 and has earned $121,282 for owner Debra Gotovac and trainer Bradley Bolen.

Rounding out the field are Political Assasin (12-1), JLC Simon Says Run (20-1), Perry Bogart (20-1), and Mitoles Princess (20-1).

The Yellow Rose of Texas Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, as Race 11 on the 12-race program. First post is 6:05 p.m. (CST).

For additional racing information, visit Lone Star Park.

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