Cowboys Flying, ridden by Victor Manuel Urieta Jr., captured the $541,000 Texas Breeders Futurity on Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park.

© Jack Coady Photography

By Emily Paulk, StallioneSearch

HOUSTON, TX–May 9, 2026— Cowboys Flying stamped himself as one of Texas’ top juveniles Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park, holding off a determined field to capture the rich $541,000 Texas Breeders Futurity at 330 yards.

Under jockey Victor Manuel Urieta Jr., the brown gelding stopped the clock in :16.476 over a muddy sealed racetrack while earning a stellar 106 speed index. Cowboys Flying battled throughout before drawing clear late to score by three-quarters of a length as the post-time favorite.

The winning connections of Cowboys Flying accept the $541,000 Texas Breeders Futurity trophy at Sam Houston on Saturday. © Jack Coady Photography

Bred by Dr. Tommy Hays, Cowboys Flying races for Double J Racing and is trained by Ramiro Villarreal. The gelding is a $53,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate and is sired by Flying Cowboy 123 out of the winning Carters Cartel mare Cartels Lady.

The female family includes stakes winners Newport Fancy ($68,851), Hiclass Vodka ($227,764), Triple Vodka ($224,670), and Relentless Courage ($131,685).

Saturday’s victory kept Cowboys Flying undefeated through two starts while the $240,746 winner’s share of the purse boosted his lifetime earnings to $246,746.

Following the race, owners Jerry Deville and Jaime Cardenas reflected on the significance of winning the inaugural Texas Breeders Futurity with their standout juvenile.

The longtime partners have been buying and racing horses together since 2015 while balancing their own successful businesses with strong family involvement in the operation.

“We’ve been blessed to buy some really good horses from breeders like Dr. Hays and others,” Deville said. “Before the race even started, we both agreed we wanted to do something different in the winner’s circle that nobody has done before.”

Deville then announced that the partners planned to donate $20,000 of their winnings to a charitable foundation selected by Sam Houston Race Park officials.

“What we want to do is let the officials at this racetrack choose a foundation of their choice, and we’re going to donate $20,000 of our winnings to that foundation,” Deville said.

He also praised the efforts of Sam Houston Race Park and its staff.

“We appreciate everyone at Sam Houston — the staff and everyone involved,” Deville said. “We know how much work goes into putting on these races, and we just want to say thank you.”

Cardenas added that the team’s confidence in Cowboys Flying helped inspire the decision.

“We felt very comfortable with the way this horse had been performing, and that’s one reason we decided to donate part of the winnings,” Cardenas said. “We’re just so happy.”

Deville also shared the story behind purchasing Cowboys Flying at the TQHA Yearling Sale.

“At the sale, Luis, who works with Jaime, came to us and said, ‘I have a Flying Cowboy 123 horse you need to look at,’” Deville recalled. “I told him I had already looked at all those horses, but he said, ‘No, I’m serious, you need to come see this one.’ Jaime agreed, so we went to Dr. Hays and asked what was so special about him.”

According to Deville, Dr. Hays explained the mare had already produced talented runners, though many found success outside Texas.

“Dr. Hays told us they’d had a lot of good horses out of that mare, but they always seemed to leave Texas to race,” Deville said. “He said they would be obliged if we would be the high bidders on him. I told him, ‘Well, just don’t raise your hand when the bidding starts and maybe we can afford him.’ Thankfully, it worked out, and here we are today.”

Apollitical Cowboy finished second under Nestor Duran for owners Armando Luis Castellanos and Alfonso Rangel and trainer Santiago Villaseca. The gelding completed the 330 yards in :16.609 while earning a 102 speed index after pressing the pace throughout.

Bred by JP Quarter Horses, the only breeder to qualify more than one runner to the final, Apollitical Cowboy is a $50,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate out of the High Rate Of Return mare Too Kool To Return.

His female family includes Grade 1 winner Beduinos Rusty and world champion Whosleavingwho. Following the effort, Apollitical Cowboy now owns a record of 4-1-2-0 with earnings of $142,801.

Mister Carter completed the trifecta under Rosendo Pina Garcia for breeder Ricardo Angel Ayala, owner AA Farms LLC, and trainer Rene Talamantes.

The $23,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate is sired by champion Carters Cartel and out of the winning Game Patriot mare Game Dreamer. Mister Carter stopped the clock in :16.677 while earning a 99 speed index after battling early before settling for third.

JC Canelo finished fourth and was followed by Coronas First Cowboy, Reverzcowgirl, Natural Flyin Cowboy, Whoopie Cowgirl, and Divina Tres Seis. JP Tempting Jewel was scratched.

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