Noe Villatoro guides Eye Will Decide to a three-quarter-length victory in the Grade 2 Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes on Friday at Retama Park.

© Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch

By Emily Paulk, StallioneSearch

SELMA, TX—JULY 24, 2026—Eye Will Decide rallied from just off the pace to capture the Grade 2 $58,000-added Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes Friday night at Retama Park.

Ridden by Noe Villatoro, Eye Will Decide tracked the early leaders, advanced three-wide around the turn and finished with a strong late rally to win by three-quarters of a length. The Adan Guzman trainee covered the 870 yards in :46.596 while earning an 88 speed index over a fast track.

Owned and bred by Bryon Gardner, the 8-year-old gelding is sired by Majestic Cartel and out of the Valiant Hero mare Valiant Lil Lady.

Coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes after winning the Grade 3 Jesse Yoakum Memorial 870 Stakes, Eye Will Decide improved his record to 35-9-9-5. The $34,800 winner's share of the purse boosted his lifetime earnings to $273,969.

Winning connections of Eye Will Decide. © Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch

In addition to Friday's victory, his stakes record includes wins in the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes and the Grade 3 Jesse Yoakum Memorial 870 Stakes.

Thrill And Fury finished second under Claudio Aguilar after stalking the pace along the rail and mounting a stretch bid before settling for second. Trained by Brittany Tellez for owner Ubaldo Fuentes Jr., the 5-year-old stopped the clock in :46.705 with an 87 speed index.

Bred by Lorelei Hankins, he is sired by Mister Fulton and out of the Furyofthewind mare Hellnfury. Coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Governor's Cup Marathon Stakes, he now owns a record of 22-5-1-1 with earnings of $75,339.

Still seeking his first stakes victory, he was third in last year's Lone Star Park Distance Championship Stakes.

Fire Bolt B set the pace from the start and opened a clear advantage before weakening late to finish third under Alejandro Medina. The Richard Sedillo trainee completed the distance in :46.948 while earning an 84 speed index.

Owned by Tony Sedillo and RC Racing LLC, the 4-year-old gelding was bred by Bielau Oaks and is an $11,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate. He is sired by Bolt Of Fire and out of the FDD Dynasty mare She A Elektra B.

Coming off a finalist effort in the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes, he now has a record of 18-6-1-1 with earnings of $93,203. Earlier this year, he captured the Grade 3 Sam Houston Distance Challenge Stakes.

Determined finished fourth and was followed by Master Reigns, Superfragilistic, Gladiator, and Gjr Rooster.

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