The Dulce Tacha setting the fastest time of two trial heats.

© Coady Media

By Stallionesearch / Louanne Wainscott

PHOENIX, AZ–JANUARY 26, 2026—The Monday afternoon program at Turf Paradise features an eight-race card highlighted by the $27,800 Mark Villa Maiden Stakes, which will showcase ten promising sophomores who qualified through the January 5 trial heats. The opening race of the afternoon, a 300-yard dash, is scheduled to break from the gate at approximately 1:15 p.m. (MT).

 Leading the field is The Dulce Tacha, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, who earned fastest-qualifier honors after capturing the second trial heat by three-quarters of a length. The three-year-old filly appears poised for a strong return in the stakes finale, showing continued maturity as she embarks on her three-year-old Derby campaign.

Bred in Oklahoma by H & E Ranch, Inc., The Dulce Tacha is a daughter of Dulce Sin Tacha out of Theslatesclean by Corona Cocktail. She is conditioned by Matthew M. Fales and will break from post position five with leading rider Manuel Americano returning in the irons.

Drawing strong support as the 7-2 second choice on the morning line is Bf Dulce Sin Rage, who secured his spot in the stakes by winning the first trial heat and recording the fourth-fastest qualifying time. The gelding has been a model of consistency throughout his career, finishing off the board just once in seven lifetime starts.

During his two-year-old season, Bf Dulce Sin Rage qualified for two futurities, finishing third in both the $52,000 AQRA Presidents Open Spring Futurity and the $98,000 AQRA Turf Paradise Open Futurity. Campaigned by J Lazy Six Racing, he was purchased for $52,000 at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale.

The Utah-bred gelding is by Dulce Sin Tacha out of Bf Fooserageous by Foose, bred by Kevin A. Birrell. He is trained by David John Williams and will break from the outside post ten with Kevin Carbajal named to ride.

With a full field of evenly matched sophomores, the $27,800 Mark Villa Maiden Stakes sets the stage for a competitive and potentially thrilling blanket finish, honoring the memory of the late jockey Mark Villa.

Villa passed away in September of 2010 and is remembered fondly by his wife, Krystal Villa-Bourdieu, their twins, Olivia and Garrett Villa, the jockey colony, and countless racing families whose lives he touched.

The Turf Paradise races can be watched on Q-Racing Video.

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