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Princess Chenoa Earned Her First Stakes Victory With A Major Upset In The $46,000 La Villita Stakes
Princess Chenoa, ridden by Jose Alvarez, wins the $46,000 La Villita Stakes at Retama Park on Thursday.

© Coady Photography
Princess Chenoa Earned Her First Stakes Victory With A Major Upset In The $46,000 La Villita Stakes

SELMA, TX–JUNE 27, 2024–It came down to a three-way photo finish at the wire Thursday night in the $46,000 La Villita Stakes, with Princess Chenoa getting her first stakes victory at Retama Park.

Princess Chenoa broke first from the gates with Jose Alvarez in the irons but fell back to third at first call. The duo gained ground and was up late at the wire for a photo-finish victory by a neck. Running against a 10 mph headwind, Princess Chenoa clocked an 84 speed index speed index in :17.249 seconds. The longshot's victory paid $34.40 on 16-1 odds.

Trained by Marc Jungers, Princess Chenoa has lit the board six of seven starts with three career wins, tonight being her first in stakes competition. The $27,600 winner's portion of the 330-yard race improved her earnings to $69,688.

The daughter of Hawkeye also placed third in last year's Wrangler Stakes and was a finalist in this year's Sam Houston Derby [G3].

The winning connections of Princess Chenoa accept the $46,000 La Villita Stakes trophy at Retama Park on Thursday. © Coady Photography

Her owner, Richard Hawkins, purchased Princess Chenoa for $31,500 in the 2022 TQHA Yearling Sale from breeder Sandra Garnett. The three-year-old gray filly is out of Loose Play by Intimidator.

Runner-up Kvp Especial, ridden by Victor Urieta Jr, led the field from first call but got hung at the wire and lost the nod to Princess Chenoa for second. The daughter of Kvn Corona has three lifetime wins with $48,090 in the bank.

Pedro Vazquez bred the $15,000 TQHA Yearling Sale repurchase out of Georgina Especial by Giorgino. Roberto Madrigal saddled Kvp Especial for owner Francisco Balderas.

Dm Bella Star, who placed third by only a nose to Kvp Especial, was ridden by Froylan Ramirez. The two-time winning daughter of Coronas Leaving You has earned $34,527 for her owner/breeder, Donna Mushinski. The Kie Mushinski trained filly is out of Dm Bella Mia by Prime Talent.

Ladys Gotta Jet, Gigi Gets Half, Kas Delivers Gl, Trixiee, Tempting Celebration, Tempting For Cash and Destinychild complete the order of finish.

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About Retama Park
Retama Park is a Class 1 pari-mutuel horse racetrack located in Selma, Texas, just 20 minutes from downtown San Antonio. Live Quarter Horse races take place each summer, while simulcast wagering and races from around the world are available to watch and wager on Wednesday through Sunday. Managed by Penn Entertainment Inc., Retama Park opened in 1995 and will host its 30th year of racing beginning on June 27, 2024. For more information and racing schedules, please visit www.RetamaPark.com follow on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.