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Top Sophomores Face Off in Saturday's Texas Classic Derby, Oaks at Lone Star Park
Fastest qualifier Relentless Eagle will head Saturday's $328,811 Texas Classic Derby (G1) at Lone Star Park.

© Dustin Orona Photography
Top Sophomores Face Off in Saturday's Texas Classic Derby, Oaks at Lone Star Park

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX–NOVEMBER 14, 2024–Lone Star Park will present a pair of significant stakes for 3-year-olds as part of its 12-race closing night program on Saturday.

Saturday's 440-yard, $328,811 Texas Classic Derby (G1) is headed by Lance Bland's Relentless Eagle, a bay son of champion Hes Relentless and a $100,000 purchase at the 2022 Heritage Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City. The fastest qualifier from four trials run October 26, Relentless Eagle brings in a three-race win streak that includes a dead heat victory with Asscher in the 440-yard, $177,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park on October 5.

Relentless Eagle has won five of his six starts at Lone Star Park and three of his four outs at the classic quarter-mile trip. Marc Jungers trains the gelding.

Relentless Eagle drew post 2 and will be ridden by Christian Ramos.

Trainer Toby Keeton will send out four Texas Classic Derby finalists, including Shoeless. A gray son of champion FDD Dynasty, Shoeless will be seeking his first stakes victory on Saturday. However, the gelding is coming off of a summer campaign during which he ran third, a neck behind winner Dashing Tres, in the sport's richest race for 3-year-olds, the September 2, $1.041-million All American Derby (G1) at Albuquerque Downs.

Shoeless drew post 6 and will be ridden by Bryan Candanosa.

Also on Saturday, a field of 10 sophomore fillies is entered in the 400-yard, $254,502 Purina Feeds Texas Classic Oaks.

Asscher, a sorrel daughter of FDD Dynasty trained by Marc Jungers for owners Lance Bland and Jimmy Barton, drew post 5 and will be ridden by Christian Ramos. A $350,000 buy at the '22 Ruidoso Select Yearlilng Sale, the filly has banked $326,970 from nine races this season, and her five wins include a dead heat victory with Relentless Eagle in the Dash For Cash Derby, and a wire-to-wire, three-quarter length win in the 400-yard, $404,000 Los Alamitos Oaks (G1) on March 23.

Fastest qualifier Especially Goodcandy has won all three of her outs this year, including the 440-yard, $662,000 All American Oaks (G1) at Albuquerque Downs on September 2. The homebred filly has earned $704,289 from 10 lifetime starts, and she ended her juvenile campaign with a second-place finish, one length behind winner Dark NME, in last year's 400-yard, $1.176-million Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park. Trey Wood trains Especially Goodcandy for owners Mark McCloy and Annette McCloy.

Especially Goodcandy drew post 8 and will be ridden by Ricky Ramirez.

All Lone Star Park races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.

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