Air To Em Jess, winner of the $50,000 Tomball Stakes in his last start, will head the Sam Houston Texas-Bred Championship on Saturday.

© Coady Photography

HOUSTON, TX—JUNE 7, 2021—Five official Texas-bred stakes, topped by the 400-yard, $100,000 Sam Houston Texas-Bred Championship (R), will be contested at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday.

Air To Em Jess, a 3-year-old son of the Mr Jess Perry stallion Dash Master Jess owned and trained by Luis Raul Garcia Nino, heads a field of six entered in the Sam Houston Texas-Bred Championship, the richest of Saturday’s five stakes. Air To Em Jess will be stretching out in distance off his nose victory in the 350-yard, $50,000 Tomball Stakes (R) at Sam Houston on May 28.

Air To Em Jess has won two of eight races and has earned $57,271. The gelding drew post 5 and will be ridden by Gaspar Garcia.

Other contenders include Carry The Memories, a homebred 5-year-old Dash Master Jess gelding owned by Scarlett Hill Farm Inc., Cesar Rosales, and trainer Rolando Almanza. Carry The Memories ended his 4-year-old campaign with a second-place finish in the 400-yard, $100,000 B.F. Phillips Jr. Stakes R at Lone Star Park, and he prepped for this race with a one-length victory in a 300-yard, $30,000 non-winners-of-three allowance for Texas-breds on May 15.

Carry The Memories drew post 4 and will be ridden by Ricardo Garza-Cruz.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments:

1. L Capone (Noe Villatoro)
2. Famous Chief (Bryan Candanosa)
3. Five Bar Silver (Victor M. Urieta Jr.)
4. Carry The Memories (Ricardo Garza-Cruz), 20-1
5. Air To Em Jess (Gaspar Garcia)
6. Kiss My Annee GL (Jorge J. Garcia)

Six Texas-breds are entered in Saturday’s 550-yard, $75,000 Sam Houston 550 Stakes (R). The early favorite, Rogelio Marquez Jr.’s Moment Of Fury, has earned $45,320 from two starts at the current Sam Houston meet, and his season record includes a half-length victory at odds of 19-1 in the 550-yard, $50,000 Harris County Stakes on May 14. The 5-year-old Furyofthewind gelding drew post 6 and will be ridden by David Alvarez for trainer Hector Alcala.

Pa Cha Ching, a 4-year-old stakes-winning son of champion Tempting Dash trained by John Stinebaugh for lessees R. Armor and S.F. and Helen Henderson, drew post 2 for Saturday’s 250-yard, $75,000 Sam Houston 250 Stakes (R) for Texas-breds. Pa Cha Ching has banked $108,098 from 11 outs, and the stallion’s four wins include a three-quarter length victory as the 17-10 favorite in the 2019 Texas Classic Juvenile Stakes at Lone Star Park. Jose I. Martinez will ride Pa Cha Ching.

Seven state-bred distaffers, led by Cesar Rosales’ Jess A Dashin Angela, are entered in Saturday’s 330-yard, $75,000 Miss Sam Houston Stakes (R). A 3-year-old daughter of Dash Master Jess, the filly will be making her first start against older runners off of a second-place finish, a neck behind winner Fear The Dragon, in the 350-yard, $333,000 Sam Houston Derby (G2) on May 14. Jess A Dashin Angela drew post 3 and will be ridden by Luis Vivanco for trainer Rolando Almanza.

A full field of eight state-bred distance specialists are entered in Saturday’s 870-yard, $75,000 Jesse Yoakum Memorial Stakes (R). Viva Le Don, a graded stakes winner during the Remington Park spring meet, drew post 4 and will be ridden by Josh Romero for owner Rockin J Running Horses and trainer Tammy Johnson. A homebred 5-year-old son of Rock Solid Jess, the gelding scored a 2 1/2-length victory in the 870-yard, $38,000 AQHA Oklahoma Distance Challenge (G2) on April 25.

All Sam Houston Race Park races can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.