Sunday afternoon at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds will feature a 10-race program beginning at 1:00 p.m., highlighted by the $163,800 GCFA Firecracker Futurity and the $30,000 GCFA Dutchman Stakes.

© Gillespie County Fairgrounds

By Louanne Wainscott, StallioneSearch

FREDERICKSBURG, TX–JULY 18, 2026–Sunday afternoon at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds will feature a 10-race program beginning at 1:00 p.m., highlighted by the $163,800 GCFA Firecracker Futurity and the $30,000 GCFA Dutchman Stakes. The afternoon's featured events will bring together some of the state's most promising juveniles and an accomplished group of older sprinters for an exciting day of Quarter Horse racing.

The featured $163,800 GCFA Firecracker Futurity is scheduled as the 10th and final race of the afternoon at approximately 4:45 p.m. The field of 10 fastest qualifiers from the July 4 trial heats returns to compete over 350 yards for one of the richest purses of the Gillespie County meet.

Mr Jet Fees has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite after a determined trial victory. The gelding won his trial by a head, digging in through the final strides to secure the second-fastest qualifying time. He has been remarkably consistent in his four career starts, recording two victories and two runner-up finishes while earning $16,200 for Faithful Cowboy, LLC., who purchased him for $18,000 at the TQHA Yearling Sale.

The Texas-bred son of EC Jet One is out of the Panther Mountain mare Fee Lion and was bred by Iris M. Buchanan. Jimmy W. Guerra trains the talented gelding, who will break from post 10, the outside, with Claudio P. Aguilar aboard.

Ali Catt has been installed as the 4-1 second choice after capturing her trial by a half-length to earn her place in the final. The filly has won two of her three career starts and continues to show steady improvement heading into the richest race of her young career.

Owned by Carrillo Racing, Ali Catt is a daughter of Ali Babe Foose, out of the Shazoom mare Zoom In On Me. She was bred in Texas by Tommy and Johanna Bullard and is trained by Abraham Carrillo. Jose R. Herbert will ride from post three.

The stakes action begins one race earlier in the $30,000 GCFA Dutchman Stakes, scheduled as race nine at approximately 4:20 p.m. A full field of 10 runners, three years old and up, will dash 250 yards in a competitive sprint.

Shes Ec to Tempt enters as the 3-1 morning-line favorite and brings an unbeaten record into Sunday's feature. The talented three-year-old filly has won all six of her career starts, including the Big Easy Futurity, and has earned $135,323 for owner Ruse Ranch, LLC. Her flawless record has established her as one of the state's most exciting young sprinters.

The Texas-bred daughter of Tempting Dash is out of the EC Jet One mare Kas Shes Ec and was bred by Francisco Javier Garza. Jose A. Garcia trains the undefeated filly, who will break from the outside post 10 with Randy Vega in the saddle.

From the state's top juvenile prospects vying for the lucrative GCFA Firecracker Futurity to an undefeated filly leading a competitive Dutchman Stakes field, Sunday's program promises an outstanding afternoon of Quarter Horse racing. Fans can expect fast times, competitive finishes, and championship-caliber performances as the Gillespie County Fairgrounds wraps up another exciting weekend of racing.

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