Fabulous Casina (inside), with jockey Froylan Ramirez up, holds off a late charge from Celebratingtheeagle under Raul Hernandez Jr. to win the $44,200 La Villita Stakes at Retama Park on Thursday.

© Jack Coady Photography

By H. David Smith, StallioneSearch

SELMA, TX—JUNE 26, 2025—Fabulous Casina dug in late to get her first career stakes victory in the $44,200 La Villita Stakes for accredited Texas-bred 3-year-old fillies Wednesday night at Retama Park.

Over a muddy sealed track and into a 6-mph headwind, the daughter of multiple stakes sire One Fabulous Eagle surged to the front in the final yards to win by a neck, covering the 330 yards in 16.949 seconds with a 97 speed index.

With Froylan Ramirez in the irons for trainer Brittany Tellez, the filly dueled gamely and outlasted a strong effort from Celebratingtheeagle. Fabulous Casina is out of the mare Bm Casina Royale by Pyc Paint Your Wagon and was bred in Texas by Bobby Myers.

The winning connections of Fabulous Casina accept the La Villita Stakes trophy at Retama Park.
© Jack Coady Photography

She races for owner Thomas D. Tiller and was a $14,000 purchase at the 2023 TQHAY Sale. Her victory earned her $26,520 and boosted her lifetime earnings to $33,423.

Celebratingtheeagle, a sorrel filly by This Is An Eagle out of Zoomin N Celebrating by Azoom, finished second after dueling throughout and weakening slightly late.

Bred by Debbie Eller, she races for Jesus A. Molina and is trained by Janessa Muniz. Jockey Raul Hernandez Jr. was aboard the $29,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate, who picked up $8,840 for the runner-up effort. Third in the Old South Derby in her last start, May 16, she has banked $71,380 in 10 career starts.

Embers Time took third, finishing 1 ½ lengths behind the runner-up. The daughter of Pyc Prize Time, out of Fancy Embrujos by Embrujo Fg, broke inward and was bumped hard but held steady under jockey Alejandro Ochoa.

Bred by Alejandro Moya, she is trained by Martin Rodriguez for owner Javier Lujan and earned $4,862. She was a $5,000 purchase from the 2023 TQHA Yearling Sale. She won the John Buchanan Memorial Stakes two races back and finished third in the Miss Sam Houston Stakes on June 14. She has won four of 10 starts and earned $88,160.

Fabulous Casina returned $8.80 to win, $3.80 to place, and $2.40 to show. Celebratingtheeagle paid $2.60 and $2.20, while Embers Time returned $2.60 to show. The $2 exacta paid $28.20, the 50-cent trifecta returned $18.35, and the 10-cent superfecta with Peppa paid $9.60.

Peppa finished 4th, followed by Kvn Dynasty in 5th, Kiss My Tail Lights in 6th, and Enshilada in 7th.

 The race went off at 10:59 p.m. under cloudy skies.

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