A Fortunate Cowboy covered the 300 yards in his trial in a time of :15.475 seconds, earning a speed index of 90, over the fast track.

© Dustin Orona Photography

By Richard Linihan

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK–MARCH 7, 2026– It was Leo Alcala’s world Saturday night and everyone else was just paying him rent. The Remington Park trainer qualified three of the fastest five 2-year-old American Quarter Horses to the finals of the Grade 2, $435,395 final, including the swiftest in A Fortunate Cowboy.

A Fortunate Cowboy covered the 300 yards in his trial in a time of :15.475 seconds, earning a speed index of 90, over the fast track. The time held up from the second trial of the night. Jockey Nestor Duran, who won three races on the night, was aboard A Fortunate Cowboy for Alcala and hit the wire 3-1/4 lengths ahead of the runner-up, Bad N Bougie 123. Duran qualified all three of Alcala’s finalists on Saturday.

Alcala won five races on the card to dominate all trainers competing on the second night of Oklahoma Futurity trials. His other two qualifiers for the finals were Nena C and Ruse Man Crystal, who were victorious in their trials and came in with the fourth- and fifth-fastest times on the evening.

Jockey Juan Pulido also rode three winners on the card, two of those for Alcala, but none qualified for the finals.

A Fortunate Cowboy is a Texas-bred colt by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the mare A Fortunate Choice, who was sired by A Regal Choice. The fastest qualifier is owned by Rolando Resendez of Mission, Texas. The colt was bred by Rigby and Brumby Partnership. Resendez purchased his blazingly fast runner for $35,000 at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale last year in New Mexico. The winner’s share of the final in the Quarter Horse game’s oldest futurity is $174,158.

Flying Cowboy 123 is the leading first crop sire of all time as a stallion and was quite the runner on the racetrack as well. He won 8-of-13 races, earning $965,811. He was named American Quarter Horse Association Racing Champion 2-year-old Colt and AQHA Racing Champion 3-year-old Colt.

A Fortunate Cowboy’s dam (mother), A Fortunate Choice was a graded stakes placed runner, winning 3-of-14 lifetime.

A light and diminishing tailwind gave slight aid to the runners on Saturday at Remington Park. The northerly tailwind started at 5mph in the first trial but was negated to an official reading of zero by the end of the trials.

Second-fastest qualifier Crystal Boi delivered a sharp performance in the sixth trial, leading from gate to wire and crossing the finish line 1 1/2-lengths in front while stopping the clock in :15.509 and earning an 89 speed index. The gelding is by champion Golden Boi and was bred by Ruse Ranch LLC, who also owns the runner in partnership with Jose Espinosa. Trained by Jose Lopez and ridden by Bryan Candanosa, Crystal Boi is out of the Apollitical Jess mare Apollitical Crystal, a graded stakes finalist. His second dam is champion Walk Thru Crystal ($675,855), a full sister to graded stakes winner Crystal Sola ($215,914). Crystal Boi was a $35,000 repurchase at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

Third-fastest qualifier Chin Up Buttercup also turned in a dominant effort, scoring a wire-to-wire victory in the seventh trial by an impressive three-length margin while posting a :15.575 clocking and an 86 speed index. The filly races for breeder-owner Kelly Yother Equine LLC and is trained by Dee Keener with Roman Cruz aboard. She is by leading sire Cyber Monday and out of the Tres Seis mare Wind Me Up Buttercup, a half-sister to stakes winner Bannister ($142,256). Her female family traces back to APHA champion Triple L Xpress ($120,208). Chin Up Buttercup was a $14,000 repurchase at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

The five fastest qualifiers Saturday night (jockey, trainer, trial number-race number, times and speed index):

• A Fortunate Cowboy, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial two (race three), :15.475, 90
• Crystal Boi, Bryan Candanosa, Jose U. Lopez, trial six (race seven), :15.509, 88
• Chin Up Buttercup, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial seven (race eight), :15.575, 86
• Nena C, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial five (race six), :15.590, 86
• Ruse Man Crystal, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial three (race four), :15.623, 85

The five fastest qualifiers from Friday over a fast track with a headwind in double digits (with jockey, trainer, trial number-race number, times and speed index) were:

• Kiss Me Ina Flash, Juan Pulido, Jed Vane, trial five (race six), :15.472, 90
• One Fancy Cowboy, Bryan Candanosa, Jose U. Lopez, trial seven (race eight), :15.698, 82
• Scott Road, Edwin Escobedo, Sammy Mendoza, trial nine (race 10), :15.711, 82
• Whiskey Doc, Cody Smith, Stacey Capps, trial eight (race nine), :15.728, 81
• Valiant Sass, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial nine (race 10), :15.746, 81

The nine trials on Friday, the first evening of trials, were conducted into a southerly headwind, ranging from 14-17mph.

Click HERE to see full qualifier list.

The historic 85^th Oklahoma Futurity will be the headliner on a night full of stakes events at Remington Park on Saturday, March 21.

$50,000 Oklahoma Juvenile Invitational Qualifiers
The second ten fastest qualifiers will return for the $50,000 Oklahoma Juvenile Invitational, led by fastest qualifier Ivorys Version, who narrowly held on to win the eighth trial in a wire-to-wire effort, getting the nod by a nose while stopping the clock in :15.759 and earning an 80 speed index. Bred by Amanda Rocha, the colt races for Tovars Little Farm LLC and is trained by Hernesto Ramirez with Mario Delgado aboard. Ivorys Version is by champion Ivory James and out of the Winners Version mare Koochi Koo, a stakes-placed runner.

Second-fastest qualifier Lethal Monday finished second behind Ivorys Version in the eighth trial, stopping the clock in :15.762 and earning an 80 speed index. Bred by Canadian River QH LLC, the filly is owned by Dale Alan Doby, trained by Trey Wood and ridden by Ruben Castro. She is by leading sire Cyber Monday and out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Lethal Perry, a stakes winner and half-sister to champion Volcom Bay ($426,023). Lethal Monday is also a half-sister to stakes-placed runner Excommunicato ($58,426). She was purchased for $15,000 at the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale.

Third-fastest Juvenile qualifier In D Mand finished second behind Crystal Boi in the sixth trial, stopping the timer in :15.764 for an 80 speed index. The gelding was bred by Cavenaugh Quarter Horses LLC and is owned by Palomino Trucking Inc., trained by Gerardo Quinones-Sarmiento and ridden by Roman Cruz. In D Mand is by champion Uncle D and out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess So Sixy, a stakes winner and half-sister to Grade 1 winner Oh So Daunting ($335,973). He is also a half-brother to champion Mystic Paint ($316,636) and stakes winner Ima Sixy Man ($166,181).

Click HERE to see full qualifier list.

Remington Park racing continues Sunday, March 8 with a first post time of 4pm-Central.

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