Fastest qualifier Miss Royal Hawk continued her impressive 2-year-old campaign Monday afternoon at Grants Pass, capturing the $79,540 Far West Futurity for her third consecutive victory and seventh win in eight career starts.

Ridden by Jaime Lopez, Miss Royal Hawk brushed at the start but quickly recovered to challenge for the lead. The filly battled with Big Kixx Cartel throughout the 400-yard contest before digging in late to prevail by a head. She stopped the clock in :19.658 over a fast track, earning a 96 speed index.

Miss Royal Hawk is a homebred for owner Ismael Villarreal and is trained by Jose Rosales Gomez. The Oregon-bred sorrel filly is sired by The Cartel Hawk and out of the Royal Shake Em mare Miss Royal Rumble.

Monday's victory added another major stakes title to her outstanding freshman season. Miss Royal Hawk previously captured the Firecracker Futurity and Pocatello Downs Spring Futurity and has now won seven of her eight career starts. Her record stands at 8-7-1-0 with earnings of $100,144.

Third-fastest qualifier Big Kixx Cartel overcame bumping at the start to battle for the lead before being narrowly denied at the wire, finishing second by three-quarters of a length over Tomatito. Ridden by Oscar Peinado, the colt races for owner Rancho AA LLC and trainer Adrian Gonzalez.

Bred by Belinda Pustka, Big Kixx Cartel is a $32,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate sired by Kiss My Hocks and out of the Big Daddy Cartel mare Fame In Rio. He now has a career record of 3-1-1-1 with earnings of $17,188.

Tomatito recovered from early bumping to rally into third under jockey Erick De Luna. The gelding races for owner Leobardo Bernal and trainer Mario Portillo.

Bred by Brazos and Sarah Wilfong, Tomatito is sired by One Famous Man and out of the Five Bar Cartel mare Sister Showtime. Earlier this season, he finished second in the Emerald Downs Juvenile Challenge. He now has a career record of 7-3-3-1 with earnings of $35,757.

Ima Flyin Fool finished fourth, followed by Winter Hawk Cartel, Iza Diva, One Fabulous Cartel, Kvn Popped Off and La Chata Jg. Fast Fly was scratched by the veterinarian.

The Far West Futurity carried a race value of $79,540, with Miss Royal Hawk earning the $32,800 winner's share.

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Rancho El Dorado announces that two-time graded stakes winner Electrifying Cowboy is now enrolled in the Fuego Stallion Incentive Program’s Azul Flight. He will return for his second season at stud in Anthony, New Mexico, in 2027 at a fee of $4,000.

According to the farm’s announcement, his 2026 foals and foals resulting from 2027 breedings will be eligible for the Azul Flight.

Bred in Texas by Paragon Farms, Electrifying Cowboy is owned by Tungsten Racing LLC and Ron Sugamosto. He is the only multiple graded stakes-winner and highest money-earning son of Flying Cowboy 123 standing at stud.

A MULTIPLE GRADED STAKES WINNER

Electrifying Cowboy won six of his 10 career starts, beginning with a debut victory in the 2024 West Texas Futurity (G2) trials that secured his place in the final. He later won his Ruidoso Futurity (G1) trial to qualify for the $1 million final.

In the fall of 2024, he began a four-race winning streak that included setting the fastest qualifying time for the La Fiesta Futurity (G3) and returning to win the final. He followed with a victory in the Southwest Juvenile Invitational Stakes (G2) at Zia Park.

His final victory came in a Ruidoso Derby trial. Following one additional start in the Rainbow Derby trials, his connections retired him to begin his stallion career.

A RECORD-SETTING SIRE LINE

Flying Cowboy 123 has established a series of sire records since his first runners reached the track. In 2023, he set the all-time first-crop sire earnings record with more than $4.3 million, represented by 50 winners and 17 stakes victories, including nine graded wins.

He followed in 2024 with an all-time second-year sire earnings record of nearly $5.4 million. His runners accounted for 97 winners and 17 stakes victories, including five graded wins.

Flying Cowboy 123 led third-year sires in 2025 with more than $7.2 million in progeny earnings. In 2026, with his fourth crop racing, he surpassed Apollitical Jess to establish the all-time single-season sire earnings record with more than $10.8 million.

From four crops to race, Flying Cowboy 123 has sired 351 winners and 128 black type performers from 575 starters. His progeny have earned $28 million, averaging approximately $48,500 per starter.

His runners include two All American Futurity (G1) winners: Cowboys Flying SI 111, with earnings of $2,062,793, and two-time champion Cowboys Gun Z SI 101, with $1,678,945. He also sires Lethal Cowboy 123 SI 98, an earner of $1,550,372.

A FAMILY WITH GENERATIONS OF STAKES SUCCESS

Electrifying Cowboy is a full brother to stakes-placed Cowboy 123, an earner of $169,289, and Flyn Electric Cowboy, who earned $56,137. He is also a half brother to Grade 3 winner Famous Carmilita, an earner of $56,244.

His dam, Corona Carmelita, earned $49,318 and was a finalist in the Ruidoso Derby (G1). She is a full sister to All American Futurity (G1) finalist Love Samba, an earner of $184,182. Love Samba produced stakes winner Rockin Red Rhythm, who earned $56,233, and is the grandam of stakes winner Lovely Josie James, an earner of $167,187.

Corona Carmelita is also a full sister to Darling Corona, dam of stakes winner El Tartanero Jess, an earner of $121,768, and a half sister to stakes winner Gallant Mystic, who earned $90,965.

Electrifying Cowboy’s second dam is a half sister to two-time AQHA champion Dashin Is Easy, an earner of $775,123, and stakes winner Dashin Prince Henry, who earned $178,046. His third dam is a winning half sister to Grade 3 winner Jody O Toole and to the dam of AQHA champion Eyesa Special, an earner of $1,394,911.

2027 BREEDING INFORMATION

With six career victories, two graded stakes wins and a family rich in stakes performers, Electrifying Cowboy brings established racing credentials to Rancho El Dorado’s breeding program. His enrollment in Fuego’s Azul Flight adds another opportunity for breeders considering him for 2027.

For more information or to request a breeding contract, contact farm manager Yeritza Carrasco at (575) 502-0598 or (575) 386-2912, or email ranchoeldorado290@yahoo.com.

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The AQHA Racing Challenge Championships bring together some of the sport’s finest horses and horsemen for a night of high-stakes racing. From fast-paced championship sprints to tests of speed and athleticism, the evening showcases the incredible talent of the American Quarter Horse.

One of the night’s marquee events is the AQHA Championship Challenge, a 440-yard race for 3-year-olds and up. The division features some of the industry’s finest horses.

Before the horses hit the track, get to know the contenders in the AQHA Championship Challenge. The official Pedigree Binder by Equineline.com provides an in-depth look at the horses competing in this division, including their pedigrees and past performances.

VIEW THE AQHA CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE PEDIGREE BINDER

Then, tune in to QRacingVideo.com to watch the AQHA Racing Challenge Championships live from The Downs at Albuquerque, and follow the action as the sport’s top competitors race for championship glory. Post time is 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, October 17.

Watch the races live on Q-Racing Video

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A tremendous group of 24 three-year-old Quarter Horses will step into the spotlight at on Sunday night, competing at 400 yards in the trials for the Grade 1, $641,950 Los Alamitos Super Derby. Ten coveted spots will be on the line for Los Alamitos’ biggest derby and roll call of sophomore standouts is outstanding. The list will include a pair of champions, multiple Grade 1 winners, and the winners of all the major races for 3-year-olds held at Los Alamitos this season.

Leading the charge into Sunday’s trials are two of the big juvenile starts of 2025, Enforce and Political Twist, whose exploits earned them both national honors during their freshman campaigns. The two will face off in the opening trial on Sunday. They’ll be joined by Beuteeful, who is the top 3-year-old filly at Los Alamitos.

Enforce, honored as AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, returns fresh to Orange County following a light 2026 campaign that includes qualifying for the Grade 1 All American Derby. Owned by West Texas Racing Partners LLC, the Dr. Steve Burns-bred son of Favorite Cartel out of all-time leading dam Remember Me Rose added to an unmatched family legacy last season when he captured the Grade 1, $1,170,950 Golden State Million Futurity. Trained by Christopher O’Dell and ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala, Enforce boasts three wins from ten starts and $647,964 in total bankroll. He joins an elite fraternity of full brothers—including champions Cyber Attack and Powerful Favorite, alongside G1 winners Bomb Cyclone, Runforyourlife, and Cyber Monday—all conditioned by O'Dell. Enforce’s combination of early speed and lineage makes him a dangerous force when fresh.

Equally formidable is Political Twist, the reigning AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding owned by La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and Ray Willis. Trained by Manuel Rodriguez, the Apollitical Jess gelding out of C Twister Seis has put together an extraordinary career record of 9 wins from 12 starts with $1,666,759 in earnings. After taking both the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity and Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity last season, Political Twist has continued his reign of success as a sophomore, winning the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby and placing second in the Grade 1 All American Derby. With three wins from four starts and $528,329 earned already this year, Political Twist enters as one of the most prolific big-money performers in the nation.

While the national champions command headlines in the first trial, the local Los Alamitos derby division is stocked with battle-tested stars Doodah Cartel, Hi Octane and Brother Ray, who have spent the season trading victories in the biggest derbies held in Orange County. They’ll face off in the third of three trials.

Doodah Cartel looks to recapture his early-season magic and secure a third derby crown in 2026. Owned by Thompson Racing, Paul Jones, and Alexis Andrade, the Favorite Cartel colt was a dominant force through the spring. After overcoming trouble to capture the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Valentine’s Day, he delivered a blistering :19.606 performance in the Grade 2 El Primero Del Año Derby, becoming just the fourth horse in track history to sweep both races in the same season—joining Headturner (2010), Powerful Favorite (2019), and Tell Cartel (2020). Though he enters off back-to-back losses—a third in the Governor's Cup Derby and an out-of-the-money trial effort—the 6-time winner ($364,353) possesses the elite kick needed to dominate when he secures a clean break.

Coming off a triumph in the Grade 2, $171,900 Golden State Derby is Keith Nellesen’s homebred Hi Octane. Trained by Kristen Watanabe, the sorrel gelding by Apollitical Jess has built a reputation for consistency, scoring six wins in 13 career starts with $338,680 earned. In the Golden State Derby, Hi Octane brushed early before taking control midway through to post a 3/4-length win in :19.591 under veteran jockey Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo.

Also looking to make noise is Brother Ray, trained by Jose Flores for the partnership of Dr. Steve Burns, Gerardo Herrera, Javier Alvarez, and Flores. The Favorite Cartel gelding ($219,469) played spoiler on California Breeders Champions Night by capturing the $160,000 Governor’s Cup Derby (RG2) in :19.846 under Irving Lara. By handing Doodah Cartel his first loss of the year and holding off Mayor Humdinger by a nose, Brother Ray showed that he is a sophomore on the rise.

Hi Octane is the local male star in Nellesen’s barn at Los Alamitos, while his top filly is the multiple Grade 1 winner Beuteeful. The Kristen Watanabe-trainee will be tested against the boys following a pair of star performances against fillies and mares.

An earner of $602,515, Beuteeful certainly arrives in peak form following an authoritative performance in the Grade 1, $100,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap. As the lone 3-year-old in a deep field of 10 older mares, Beuteeful broke on the lead under Sigala Vallejo and powered away to a 1¼-length victory in :19.440—the fastest time in the event since 2011. Combined with her earlier victory in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks, Beuteeful has been among the top 3-year-olds, male or female, at the Cypress track since her win in last year’s Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity.

Beyond the top marquee names, the trial entries showcase depth throughout each heat. SM My Valentine, winner of the 2025 Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, brings proven stakes-winning power in the opening trial, while Fancy Upp, runner-up in the G2 Golden State Derby with $117,805 in earnings, will headline trial number two.

The second trial will also feature by 2025 Holiday Handicap winner Famous Talk, the impressive sprinter owned by Johnny Trotter. He’ll take on a solid cast that also features the stakes winner and Grade 1 stakes finalist SG Jacob Jay, who is owned by Shane Giles.

Other top runners on this big night looking to punch their ticket to the $641,950 final include Shiny New, French Valley, El Dictator, Cowboy Country 123, and many others.

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