Uncle Redheads is one of 43 sophomores entered in the $125,000 Prairie Meadows Gold Derby trials on Sunday.

© Dustin Orona Photography

By Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch

ATLOONA, IA–JUNE 19, 2026–The Sunday afternoon card at Prairie Meadows Racetrack will feature a twelve-race program highlighted by five trial heats for the Prairie Meadows Gold Derby. Forty-three sophomores will compete in races two through six, each covering 350 yards, to secure one of the ten fastest qualifying times for the estimated $125,000 Prairie Meadows Gold Derby Final on July 6.

Trainer Jason L. Olmstead will send out eleven runners throughout the trials, including his top contender, Uncle Redheads, in the sixth race and final trial heat. Installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, the gelding arrives in strong form after a productive campaign at Remington Park. He captured both his Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby Trial and the Grade 3 Mr Master Bug Stakes, while also finishing runner-up in his Heritage Place Derby Trial and the Grade 3 Jack Brooks Stakes.

Owned by Cavenaugh Quarter Horses, LLC, Uncle Redheads has won six of his thirteen career starts. The Oklahoma-bred gelding is by Uncle D and out of Redheads Run Hotter, a daughter of One Sweet Jess. Bred by Charles and Elizabeth Horton, he will break from post four with regular rider Armando Alvidrez aboard.

One of the most intriguing contenders on the card will be Ding Dang Dulce in the third race, the second trial heat. Listed at 9-2 on the morning line, the gelding enters after a series of races that suggest he may be ready for a breakthrough performance.

His Derby season began with a troubled trip in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby Trial, where he stumbled badly at the start and was caught in traffic. He followed that effort with another disappointing outing in the Grade 3 Mr Master Bug Stakes before putting it all together in his Heritage Place Derby Trial, where he rallied to win by a neck, though the time was not fast enough to qualify for the final.

The gelding has five wins from eleven career starts and has earned $87,612. The son of Dulce Sin Tacha is out of Valiant Strawfly, a daughter of Valiant Hero. Bred in Oklahoma by Neff Hogue Farm, LLC, Ding Dang Dulce races for owner-trainer Haley N. Hobbs, who purchased him for $10,000 at the Heritage Place Yearling Sale. He will break from post two with Fernando Fonseca-Soto in the saddle.

With a deep field of forty-three sophomores entered, the Prairie Meadows Gold Derby Trials promise to be among the meet's most competitive programs. Several entrants bring graded stakes experience, while others seek a breakout performance that could propel them into the July 6 final. Every trip, every break, and every fraction of a second will matter as the field battles for a place in one of Iowa's premier Quarter Horse events.

The races at Prairie Meadows can be watched on Q-Racing Video.

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