Retama Park's closing weekend will be host three days of racing with 5 stakes races, weenie dog races and family fun.

© Jack Coady Photography

By Leann Noguera, StallioneSearch

SELMA, TX–The exciting finale of the Quarter Horse racing season at Retama Park will take place August 20-22, as the 2026 Texas summer meet concludes with three nights of racing.

Five stakes races will highlight the final weekend as Quarter Horses, Paints, and Appaloosas share the spotlight. In between races, fans can enjoy the popular Weenie Dog Races, live music, food, and family entertainment.

“We appreciate the horsemen who have run in San Antonio this summer and contributed to our success,” said Retama Park Vice President and General Manager Bryan Pettigrew. “Our racing fans have shown and supported our annual promotions, as well as our new promotions and handicapping tournaments. We are looking forward to an exciting closing weekend and crowning our season-ending champions.”

The final weekend gets underway on Thursday with a nine-race card offering more than $100,000 in Quarter Horse purses. The evening will also serve as Military Appreciation Night, with military personnel and first responders receiving free admission.

Friday’s 11-race program is topped by the $58,718 AQHA Retama Championship Challenge (G3) in race 10. The 440-yard event for 3-year-olds and older offers the winner a berth in the AQHA Challenge Championship on October 17 at Albuquerque.

Closing night Saturday will feature four stakes races, beginning with back-to-back events for Paints and Appaloosas. The $61,972 Colors of the Alamo Paint and Appaloosa Futurity-G3 is scheduled for race six, followed by the $39,737 Colors of the Wind Paint and Appaloosa Maturity in race seven.

The focus then shifts to the TQHA Sires’ Cup program. The $230,000 TQHA Sires’ Cup Futurity-RG2 will be contested as race nine, followed by the $100,000 TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby-RG3 in race 10. The two races have become important fixtures on the Texas racing calendar, offering six-figure purses along with more than $38,000 in awards to participating stallion owners.

TQHA Director of Racing Scott Sherwood credited Retama Park for its support of the association and Quarter Horse racing throughout the summer meet.

“Working with the folks at Retama Park is great and has been a real pleasure,” Sherwood said. “They have gone above and beyond to support and promote the TQHA and Quarter Horse racing in Texas. The promotions they did around our Summer Showdown races, the TQHA Sale Futurity, and the Sires Cup, as well as promoting the TQHA Yearling Sale itself, were more than we could have asked for. They really put a lot of effort and expense into making this meet a success.”

Saturday’s program will also honor several members of the racing community with three memorial races. Race five will feature the Jerry Burgess Memorial, race eight will honor James Weller, and the 11th and final race of the 2026 Retama Park meet will be the Daves Family Classic.

The popular Weenie Dog Races will add to Saturday night’s festivities, with trial heats held between the horse races. Winners from each heat will advance to the final to compete for a $500 cash prize, with Dachshunds of all experience levels welcome to participate.

With stakes racing, the Sires’ Cup finals, weenie dog races, and family entertainment on tap, Retama Park will bring its 2026 summer meet to a close with one of the season’s biggest weekends. First post is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. each evening, with gates opening at 5 p.m.          

THE STAKES LINE-UP AND MORNING-LINE FAVORITES
Below is a look at the morning-line favorites and leading contenders for this weekend’s featured stakes races.

$58,718 AQHA Retama Championship Challenge (G3)
A field of eight 3-year-olds and older will line up in Friday’s 10th race. The winner of the 440-yard stakes race will earn a berth to compete in the AQHA Challenge Championship at the Downs at Albuquerque on October 17.

Shakers No Secret leads the field as the 2-1 morning-line favorite. The 6-year-old gelding enters off a victory in the Grade 3 King William Stakes, where he prevailed by three-quarters of a length. The veteran has compiled 11 career victories and 10 runner-up finishes while earning $864,925 for owners Abel Lopez, Ethan Lopez, and Manny Dutchover, who purchased him for $14,000 as a yearling at the Heritage Place Sale.

The son of Five Bar Cartel is out of the No Secrets Here mare Shaker Secret and was bred in Texas by Garlyn O. Shelton. Trainer Marc E. Jungers will send Shakers No Secret from the outside post eight with Raul Ramirez, Jr. aboard for the first time.

Stablemate Eagles Up is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. The 4-year-old stallion has made just one start this season, finishing evenly against allowance company. He returns to stakes competition looking to regain the form that carried him to victory in the $110,000 Sires Cup Derby in 2025. Eagles Up has recorded five victories, three seconds, and three thirds while earning $170,368.

$230,000 TQHA Sires’ Cup Futurity (RG2)
Ten juveniles who advanced from the August 7 trial heats will return Saturday night to contest the 350-yard finals.

Fastest qualifier Ruse Man Crystal will lead the field from the inside rail. The filly delivered a gate-to-wire performance in her trial, taking command early and drawing clear by two lengths while recording the fastest qualifying time.

Ruse Man Crystal has made three career starts with two victories. Her only other outing resulted in a third-place finish in the Grade 2 $435,000 Oklahoma Futurity. She enters Saturday’s final with earnings of $59,818 for owners K K Horse Racing.

The daughter of KJ Mucho Macho Man is out of the Walk Thru Fire mare Crystal Sola and was bred in Louisiana by Ruse Ranch, LLC. Trainer Jose A. Garcia will send her from post one with jockey Victor M. Urieta, Jr. aboard.

$100,000 TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby (RG3)
A field of nine 3-year-olds will return from the August 8 trial heats to race 400 yards Saturday night.

Sarah Huskey’s Texas homebred Karma Cha Ching will command attention from the outside post as she enters the final, riding a four-race winning streak. The filly is unbeaten in four starts this season, including victories in the $176,000 Sam Houston Oaks and $46,000 La Villita Stakes.

Karma Cha Ching has won five races during her career and earned $133,302 heading into Saturday night. The daughter of Pa Cha Ching is out of the Tinys First Corona mare Marthas First Corona. She is conditioned by Esteban Rubio and will have jockey Nestor Duran aboard as she attempts to extend her winning streak.

$61,972 Colors of the Alamo Paint and Appaloosa Futurity (G3)
Jvm Hot Victoria leads the field following an impressive trial performance, drawing clear to win by one length while posting the fastest qualifying time of the horses entering the finals.

The filly entered the trials off a victory in the $13,350 TPHBA Paint Horse Juvenile Stakes and has put together a strong juvenile campaign with four wins from six starts and earnings of $33,646.

Juan Luis Leon’s Texas homebred, dual-registered filly is by Chilitos, who is the sire of four of the seven returning to the finals. Wendy Alejandra Garcia trains her and will break from post two with Garcia’s son, jockey Rosendo E. Pina Garcia, aboard.

$39,737 Colors of the Wind Paint and Appaloosa Maturity
La Cholula enters Saturday night seeking to continue her recent stakes success after a late rally carried her to a neck victory in the $35,000 G.C.F.A. Paint and Appaloosa Maturity Stakes. The filly has won four of her eight career starts and earned $36,755.

Isabel Huitron’s Texas homebred dual-registered filly is by Chilitos and out of the Shazoom mare Trampstamp. Trainer Shae L. Cox will send La Cholula from post four with jockey J.R. Ramirez, Jr. returning aboard as she seeks another stakes victory.

ABOUT RETAMA PARK
Retama Park is a Class 1 pari-mutuel horse racetrack located in Selma, Texas, just 15 minutes from downtown San Antonio. Live Quarter Horse races take place each summer, while simulcast wagering and races from around the world are shown daily. Managed by Penn Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ – PENN), Retama Park opened in 1995 and is hosting its 31st season of horse racing in 2026. For more information and racing schedules, please visit www.RetamaPark.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.