DK Bonita Jess headlines Grade 2 Sam Houston Futurity Trials at Sam Houston Race Park.

© Ann Switalski Photography

By Stallionesearch / Louanne Wainscott

HOUSTON, TX–May 20, 2026—Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park promises one of the season’s most exciting programs as the Grade 2, $150,000-added Sam Houston Futurity Trials bring together an overflowing field of rising two-year-old talent. A staggering 99 juveniles were entered in ten trial heats, creating a night loaded with young prospects, powerhouse pedigrees, and future stars vying for a spot in one of Texas’ premier futurity finals.

The depth of the card is impossible to ignore. Of the 99 entrants, 81 remain maidens, including 22 first-time starters ready to make their career debuts under the lights. Eighteen runners already have victories, while only four have previously competed in stakes finals, creating an intriguing mix of proven talent and dangerous newcomers still waiting to break through.

Adding to the intrigue, 48 different stallions are represented across the ten trial races. Leading the charge is the dominant sire, Flying Cowboy 123, with 14 starters, while Apollitical Jess follows with six entrants. Favorite Cartel and This Is An Eagle each send five hopefuls into battle, giving fans and breeders plenty to watch as the next generation of talent begins to emerge.

The spotlight heading into the trials belongs squarely to Dk Bonita Jess, who appears poised for another major effort after already proving herself against elite company earlier this season. The talented filly carries an outstanding pedigree as a full sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Dk Marney Jess, who earned $590,704.

She was bred in Mexico by powerhouse breeder Cuadra La Presita, the daughter of Apollitical Jess, who is out of champion mare Marney Jo by Corona Cartel, and owned by CH Horse Racing, LLC Dk Bonita Jess turned heads when she finished second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Downs Futurity after winning her trial impressively. The $120,000 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale graduate has already banked $56,211 and enters Saturday as one of the leading contenders to qualify for the final. Veteran jockey Nestor Duran will guide the filly in the eighth trial of the evening.

Another proven black-type runner set to headline the card is Mister Sinatra, who lines up in race seven. The son of second-crop sire Dulce Sin Tacha earned his credentials with a runner-up finish in the Laico Bird Stakes-RG3 at Remington Park and enters with one victory from two career starts while earning $22,675.

Trainer Zack Stinebaugh conditions the $35,000 Heritage Place Yearling Sale graduate for Jamco Dreams, LLC. Accomplished rider Bryan Candanosa has been named aboard as Mister Sinatra attempts to stamp himself as one of the top juveniles in the region.

Race two features another dangerous contender in Coronas First Cowboy, a talented son of Flying Cowboy 123 who already owns two wins from three starts with earnings of $33,490. The colt races for Antonio Mercado and is trained by Marc Jungers. The $62,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate previously competed in the rich $541,000 Texas Breeders Futurity and now looks to take another major step forward with Luis Vivanco aboard.

Duran will also pilot JJ Kiss in race four for owner Gisela Davila Perez and trainer Bobby Muniz Pena. The chestnut colt, a son of Kiss My Hocks, was a finalist in the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity and has already shown strong potential with one victory from two starts and earnings approaching $16,000. Purchased for $55,000 at the TQHA Yearling Sale, JJ Kiss enters as another runner capable of delivering a breakout performance.

The excitement surrounding Saturday’s futurity trials is only the beginning. The qualifiers from the Grade 2 Sam Houston Futurity, along with finalists from the Sam Houston Juvenile, Sam Houston Derby-G3, and Sam Houston Oaks, will all return for a blockbuster closing night on June 13. That championship program will also feature the Willie Hickman Memorial Stakes-G2, Jesse Yoakum Memorial 870 Stakes-G3, Governors Cup Marathon-G3, Sam Houston 550 Stakes-G3, Miss Sam Houston Stakes, and the Sam Houston 250 Stakes, closing out the Quarter Horse season at Sam Houston Race Park in spectacular fashion.

The races at Sam Houston Race Park can be watched on Q-Racing Video.

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