Racing Preview

A talented field of New Mexico-bred fillies and mares will take center stage Sunday afternoon at Albuquerque Downs in the $50,000 Champagne Lane Stakes. The eighth race on the nine-race card features eleven entrants, including established stakes winners and experienced competitors, who will race 350 yards at approximately 4:25 p.m.

Fastest qualifier Keep On Rollin 123, accomplished older rivals Tachas Secret and Mr Michel, and a strong contingent of Indiana homebreds headline six Quarter Horse stakes Saturday, October 24, during Indiana Champions Day at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The road to the Grade 1 Speedhorse Paint & Appaloosa Futurity Championship continues Sunday afternoon at Will Rogers Downs, where thirteen juveniles will compete in two trial heats to advance to the championship finale.

Grade 1 All American Futurity finalist Leaving London headlines a pair of top allowance events for juveniles on Saturday night at Los Alamitos, as several talented runners coming out of the Golden State Million Futurity trials fine-tune their form for the upcoming Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials.

Ajax Downs' record-breaking 2026 Quarter Horse season comes to a close on Wednesday, October 21, with the final day of the meeting headlined by the $59,805 Alex Picov Memorial Futurity, the top race in the country for 2-year-olds. The nine-race card gets underway at 12:55 p.m.

Fans wagering on Ajax Downs on Wednesday through Horseplayer Interactive (www.HPI.com) will receive 3 percent cash back on all eligible wagering over $40.

Numerous wagering records were set during Ajax Downs' 22-day meeting, including single race handle and single day handle. Heading into the last day, wagering on Quarter Horse racing at the fan-friendly track is up about 59 percent over 2025.

The Picov Futurity at 400 yards has a field of 10 juveniles that competed in Trials on September 30. An intriguing aspect of the Trials is that one of those dashes produced a dead-heat to win between Ontario-bred fillies Impeerial Miracle and Baref Hurricante Rush. Both fillies were winning for the first time in their career.

Imperial Miracle is a homebred for James Bogar of Cameron, ON, currently the leading Quarter Horse breeder at Ajax Downs with 16 wins from 69 starts. Imperial Miracle furnished a strong late run in her Trial under jockey Tony Phillips to land on even terms with speedy rival Baref Hurricane Rush, owned by Earl Foster and ridden by Corry Beland.

The pair of fillies clocked a slightly faster time, 20.633, for their Trial than the undefeated Had To Be Valiant, who won the other Trial. Had to Be Valiant, owned and bred by Carol and Jaime Robertson of Hillsburgh, was up to win by a nose in 20.758 with Ismael Mosqueira riding. The talented filly won the Ontario Bred Futurity in July and is three for three in her career.

The Picov Futurity is race eight on the card.

A new chapter in Quarter Horse racing will be written Monday afternoon, October 19, when Will Rogers Downs hosts the inaugural $166,100 Will Rogers Oaks. Ten talented three-year-old fillies have earned their places in the starting gate, each seeking to become the first winner of the newly established stakes event.

An exciting afternoon of stakes racing awaits fans at Will Rogers Downs on Sunday, October 18, with the Grade 3 $15,000 Sequoyah Stakes and $30,000 Miss Ellen Stakes headlining the eight-race program. The two featured events will showcase experienced Paint and Appaloosa runners alongside a competitive field of Quarter Horse fillies and mares seeking another stakes victory.

An exciting afternoon of Quarter Horse racing awaits fans at The Downs at Albuquerque on Sunday, October 18, with the Grade 3 $100,000 La Fiesta Futurity and $75,000 La Fiesta Derby headlining a nine-race program. The two stakes events will bring together talented juveniles and accomplished sophomores, each seeking another prestigious victory to add to their racing records.

An exciting afternoon of Quarter Horse racing awaits fans at Hipódromo de las Américas on Sunday, October 18, with the Restricted Grade 3 XII Futurity Desafío Crianza Mexicana and the Futurity Desafío Crianza Mexicana Consolation headlining the eight-race program. The two featured events will bring together talented Mexican-bred juveniles competing for prestigious titles and valuable purse money.

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.

Jo Rae Burns’ striking gray gelding, Astronomical 123, who was so sharp when finishing third against a field of eight in the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap, will look to showcase his quickness once again when he heads a quality group of 10 speedsters in the Azure Three Handicap at 220 yards this Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

An exciting afternoon of championship racing awaits at Albuquerque Downs on Sunday, with New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses taking center stage in a nine-race program featuring three major stakes events totaling $850,000.

A talented field of five accomplished Quarter Horses will take center stage Sunday afternoon, October 11, at Hipódromo de las Américas for the 14th running of the José Merced Gómez Orozco Stakes.

Thanksgiving Monday at Ajax Downs will be bursting with fun and excitement for all ages with the annual Pumpkin Day, benefiting the United Way, and, on the track, two major stakes races which could decide the Horse of the Year.

The first 100 kids at Ajax Downs on October 12 will receive a pumpkin to decorate, plus fans who donate a gently-used item of clothing or a non-perishable food item will receive a $5 bet.

Lone Star Park is preparing for an exciting Saturday evening of championship racing, with a 12-race card highlighted by the Grade 2 $455,310 Dash for Cash Futurity, the Grade 2 $168,400 Dash for Cash Derby, and the $50,590 Dash for Cash Juvenile Stakes. First post is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., as some of the region's top young Quarter Horses return to compete for championship honors.

Evangeline Downs is preparing for an exciting Saturday evening of Quarter Horse racing, highlighted by a seven-race card featuring the Restricted Grade 3 $40,000 Opelousas Stakes. First post is set for 5:35 p.m., with the opening race a 870-yard contest around the turn.

Led by Bobbie and Larry Rice’s Lobo Derby winner AJ Flawless—a multiple stakes-placed runner at Los Alamitos this season—and Silver Bac, the runner-up in the 2026 Grade 1 James Dreyer Charger Bar Handicap, a highly talented group of fillies and mares will take center stage in the $35,000 Sound Dash Handicap at 350 yards on Sunday night at the Orange County oval.

Steve Holt and Jeff Jones’ homebred superstar Empressum, the 2022 AQHA World Champion and two-time winner of the Grade 1 Champion of Champions, will make his 2026 Los Alamitos debut when he leads a stellar lineup in the Grade 1, $100,000 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship at the classic 440-yard distance on Saturday night.

Friday evening racing at Evangeline Downs will feature a competitive lineup of Louisiana-bred fillies and mares in the $30,000 Amelia Belle Stakes. The seven-race program begins at 5:35 p.m. (CDT), with the featured event set for the sixth race. A field of five Louisiana-bred fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and older, will compete at 350 yards, with an approximate post time of 7:40 p.m.