Sheza Fearless Eagle, under jockey Mauro Jesus Rodriguez, posts the fastest qualifying time of :19.600 with a 105 speed index in the Mile High Derby trials at Arapahoe Park on October 31, 2025.

© Coady Media

By Leann Noguera, StallioneSearch

AURORA, CO–OCTOBER 31, 2025–Three trials with 18 three-year-olds were held Friday afternoon at Arapahoe Park to determine the finalists for the $80,000-est. Mile High Derby. The winner of each trial landed among the top three qualifiers going into the November 16 finals at 400 yards.

Sheza Fearless Eagle extended her winning streak to three with a dominant effort in the final trial of the evening. Under jockey Mauro Jesus Rodriguez, the sorrel filly stopped the timer in 19.600 seconds, earning a 105 speed index while drawing clear by 3¼ lengths.

Trained by Fernando Ivan Manriquez for owner Jill Cook, Sheza Fearless Eagle boosted her bankroll to $237,389 with the victory. She is by One Fabulous Eagle and out of Ima Fearless Fire by Tres Seis. The Colorado-bred filly was bred by Vaughn M. & Jill Cook and was $16,000 repurchase at the 2023 Heritage Place Yearling Sale.

A multiple stakes winner, she won the Lucile Rowe Derby earlier this season and was a finalist in the All American Oaks-G1 and Heritage Place Oaks-G2. She also won the Valley Junction Futurity-G3 as a two-year-old.

Fancys Prize Corona posted the second-fastest time of the afternoon, covering the distance in 19.820 seconds for a 99 speed index and winning her trial by a neck. Also ridden by Mauro Jesus Rodriguez and trained by Fernando Ivan Manriquez, the filly races for Emanuel Yanez.

Bred in Oklahoma by Weetona Stanley, Fancys Prize Corona is a daughter of Kvn Corona. Her dam is My First Prize Fancy, a daughter of Pyc Paint Your Wagon. The $30,000 Ruidoso Yearling Sale graduate has earned $36,498 from sixteen starts. Earlier this season, she was a finalist in the Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge.

Stalekracker clocked the third-fastest qualifying time, winning the first trial in 19.859 seconds with a 98 speed index. Guided by jockey Roman Cruz for trainer Hugo Ontiveros, the gray gelding surged late to win by a neck over his rivals. He is owned by Jesus Valles and was bred in Utah by McColee Land & Livestock LLC.

Stalekracker is by Kvn Corona and out of Aquafina by First Down Dash. The $67,000 Ruidoso Yearling Sale purchase qualified for his first stakes competition with this effort, increasing his career earnings to $11,397 from ten starts.

All three trial winners will return to Arapahoe Park on Sunday, November 16, to vie for Mile High Derby honors and the lion’s share of the $80,000 purse. For the complete list of qualifiers CLICK HERE.

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