Prairie Meadows Gold Derby winner Lipstick Lou will head three trials for the Altoona Derby on Monday.

© Coady Photography

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

ALTOONA, IA-–SEPTEMBER 7, 2024–Two sets of derby trials headline Monday’s 12-race program at Prairie Meadows Racetrack near Des Moines, Iowa.

Twenty-four sophomores are entered in three 400-yard Altoona Derby trials. Lipstick Lou, a homebred daughter of champion Jess Louisiana Blue racing for Leto Land and Cattle LLC and trainer Stacy Charette-Hill, is coming off of a 1 1/4-length victory in the 350-yard, $99,000 Prairie Meadows Gold Derby on July 7.

The filly has won five of her 10 races -- including three of six at Prairie Meadows -- and she has earned $109,727, and she was a finalist in last year’s Grade 3, $204,000 Valley Junction Futurity.

Lipstick Lou drew the rail post and will be ridden by Cristian Esqueda in the second trial.

Jo Rice’s Cardiac Cowboy is coming off of a third-place finish as the odds-on favorite in the Prairie Meadows Gold Derby. A homebred Flying Cowboy 123 gelding trained by Jason Olmstead, Cardiac Cowboy has banked $49,653 from seven outs this year, and he was a finalist in the June 1, $239,000 Heritage Place Derby (G2) at Remington Park.

Cardiac Cowboy drew post 7 and will be ridden by Francisco Ramirez Jr. in the first heat.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $125,000-est. Altoona Derby final on September 27.

Also on Monday, Ruben Mojica’s AB Boogie is one of 20 Iowa-bred 3-year-olds entered in two 400-yard Polk County Derby (R) trials.

A homebred son of champion Apollitical Blood trained by Manuel Mojica Campos, AB Boogie has won two stakes during the current Prairie Meadows meet, and he will be stretching out in distance off of his one-length victory against older state-breds in the 350-yard, $40,000 Cy-Hawk Stakes (R) on August 3.

AB Boogie drew post 3 and will be ridden by Alfredo Triana Jr. in the first trial.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet on September 28, in the $120,000 Polk County Derby final.

All Prairie Meadows races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.