Shakers No Secret (#4), under jockey Noe Garcia, Jr., defeats Nothin Like You (#3) in Saturday's $277,975 AQHA Racing Challenge Championship(G1) at The Downs at Albuquerque.

© Coady Media

ALBUQUERQUE, NM–OCTOBER 26, 2024–Shakers No Secret, a 4-year-old gelded son of the multiple stakes sire Five Bar Cartel, sprinted to his first Grade 1 win in Saturday’s 440-yard, $277,975 AQHA Racing Challenge Championship (G1) at Albuquerque Downs.

Trained by Marc Jungers for owners Abel Lopez, Ethan Lopez, and Manny Dutchover, Shakers No Secret made his quarter-mile trip in :21.042, and his margin of victory was a neck from Nothin Like You. Noe Garcia Jr. rode the gray gelding.

Shakers No Secret qualified to this race from his second-place finish in the August 16, $61,000 AQHA Racing Retama Championship Challenge (G3). He was bred in Texas by Garlyn O. Shelton, and he was a $16,000 purchase at the 2021 Heritage Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City.

Shakers No Secret is out of Shaker Secret, a homebred 11-year-old daughter of the First Down Dash stallion No Secrets Here. His second dam, the homebred Eyesa Special mare Eyesa Shaker, won the ‘05 Heritage Place Futurity (G1) at Remington Park.

The winning connections of Shakers No Secret accept the AQHA Challenge Championship(G1)  trophy at The Downs at Albuquerque on Saturday. © Coady Media

Shakers No Secret was stretching out in distance off of his neck victory in a 330-yard, $26,800 allowance dash at Albuquerque Downs on September 28.

All told, the gelding has won nine of his 27 outs, and the $133,428 winner’s share of the purse from his second stakes victory pushed his bankroll to $442,414.

Runner-up Nothin Like You (17-1) earned $56,985 for finishing second under jockey Ramiro Garcia. John Hammes saddled the Favorite Cartel 5-year-old for owner Bradbury Racing. The late Thomas Bradbury and Lisa Beauprez bred the gelding in Coloardo from the Carters Cartel mare Whos Kissin Carter. The multiple graded stakes winner has earned $517,139.

Bella Vista Farms LLC’s A Tres of Eagle finished 1-1/4 lengths back to earn $27,798 for third. Eddie Lee Willis trains the One Fabulous Eagle 5-year-old from the Tres Seis mare A Tres Of Paint. Bred in Oklahoma by The Mixer Ranch, A Tres Of Eagle has earned $511,675 in 23 starts.

Ima Sixy Man, Pops First Lady, Defours, One Fabulous Boy and Flight Club completed the field.

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