Frankie Jr (red silks) won Saturday's Adequan Derby Challenge Championship at Albuquerque Downs.

© Coady Media

ALBUQUERQUE, NM–OCTOBER 26, 2024–Ivan Rivera’s Frankie Jr scored an upset victory in Saturday’s $167,225 Adequan Derby Challenge Championship (G3) for sophomores at Albuquerque Downs.

Sent to post at odds of 8-1 in the field of eight 3-year-olds, Frankie Jr covered 400 yards in :19.350, and his winning margin was a neck from 7-10 favorite Mystic Paint. Nestor Duran rode the sorrel son of the Tempting Dash stallion Kas Tempting for trainer Lee Gutierrez.

Frankie Jr was bred in Texas by Angel/Roberto Laurel/F.J. Garza, and he was making his first start in New Mexico off of his fifth-place finish, one length behind winner Action Required, in the 400-yard, $105,000 TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby (R) at Retama Park on August 17. The gelding is out of Fear This Stoli, a homebred daughter of champion Stoli.

The winning connections of Frankie Jr accept the Adequan Derby Challenge Championship(G3) trophy at The Downs at Albuquerque on Saturday. © Coady Media

Frankie Jr returned an $18.80 win mutuel, and he teamed with Mystic Paint for a $2 exacta payoff of $39.80.

The gelding was winning for the fifth time in 12 races, and the $80,268 winner’s share of the purse from his third career stakes win and first graded stakes score bumped his earnings to $118,624, of which $84,821 has been pocketed from six outs this year.

Frankie Jr qualified to this race from his one-length win in the May 10, $70,000 Adequan Sam Houston Derby Challenge.

Runner-up Mystic Paint earned $34,281 for finishing second. Jason Olmstead conditions the Pyc Paint Your Wagon colt for owner William Harned. Cavenaugh Quarter Horses LLC bred Mystic Paint from the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess So Sixy. Ramiro Garcia had the riding call aboard the $269,339 earner.

Trainer William Leech saddled third-place finisher Pretty Sweet Jess for owner Jerry Stojan. Ricardo Moreno rode the California bred daughter of multiple stakes sire One Sweet Jess from the First Down Dash mare Pretty Lethal. Bred by Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, Pretty Sweet Jess earned $16,722 for her effort.

Foosea, Runnin Mann, Preyin And Dashin, Fired and Peregrino Af completed the field.

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