Retama Park opens its 2026 Live Quarter Horse Meet June 25-27 with six stakes.

© Jack Coady Photogrpahy

By Leann Noguera, StallioneSearch

SELMA, TEXAS–JUNE 24, 2026–Retama Park's 2026 live Quarter Horse meet is set to begin Thursday, June 25, with a full three-day weekend of racing. The opening weekend will feature six stakes races, including three on Thursday and three on Saturday.

Fans can enjoy $2 draft beer specials while watching live Quarter Horse racing, and military personnel receive free admission every Thursday. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., with first post scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

Thursday's stakes program includes the $12,000-added TPHBA Paint Horse Juvenile Stakes, the $40,000-added Silver Bullet Stakes, and the $40,000-added La Villita Stakes. Saturday's card features the $40,000-added San Marcos Stakes (G3), the $40,000-added Gary Baber Memorial Stakes, and the $60,000-added King William Stakes (G3).

Retama Park's 2026 stakes schedule features a full summer of premier Quarter Horse, Paint, and Appaloosa racing, highlighted by 10 graded stakes races and two major Quarter Horse futurity weekends.

2026 STAKES SCHEDULE
06/25/26 – TPHBA Paint Horse Juvenile
06/25/26 – Silver Bullet Stakes
06/25/26 – La Villita Stakes
06/27/26 – Gary Baber Memorial Stakes
06/27/26 – King William Stakes-G3
06/27/26 – San Marcos Stakes-G3
07/02/26 – TQHA Sale Futurity Trials
07/03/26 – Retama Park Derby Trials
07/03/26 – Selma Stakes-G3
07/24/26 – TQHA 550 Stakes-G3
07/24/26 – Jones Bloodstock Insurance Starter Stakes
07/24/26 – Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes-G2
07/24/26 – TQHA Classic Stakes-G2
07/24/26 – Miss Retama Stakes
07/24/26 – TQHA 250 Stakes
07/25/26 – Retama Park Derby
07/25/26 – TQHA Sale Futurity-G1
07/25/26 – TQHA Sale Juvenile
07/31/26 – AQHA Racing Championship Challenge Trials
08/06/26 – Colors of the Alamo Paint & Appaloosa Futurity Trials
08/07/26 – Sires' Cup Futurity Trials
08/08/26 – Sires' Cup Derby Trials
08/21/26 – AQHA Racing Championship Challenge-G3
08/22/26 – Colors of the Alamo Paint and Appaloosa Futurity
08/22/26 – Colors of the Wind Paint and Appaloosa Maturity
08/22/26 – Sires' Cup Derby-RG3
08/22/26 – Sires' Cup Futurity-RG2

THURSDAY'S STAKES PREVIEW
Retama’s 2026 summer racing season kicks off Thursday evening with an eight-race card beginning at 6:45 p.m., including three stakes events.

RACE 6 – $40,000-ADDED SILVER BULLET STAKES
A field of seven Texas-bred 3-year-olds will contest the 330-yard Silver Bullet Stakes with Feenom, who enters off a runner-up effort in the $56,000 Leon Bard Memorial Stakes in his first start of the season, leading the field from the rail. He finished second ahead of Sign Of A Jet.

Owned by HEH Holdings LLC, Feenom has won four races with three seconds and one third from 10 career starts while earning $79,509. The son of This Is An Eagle, who was purchased for $46,000 at the TQHA Yearling Sale, is trained by Isidro Hinojosa, with Luis Vivanco set to ride.

Sign Of A Jet finished a half-length behind Feenom for third in the Leon Bard Memorial and returns for another matchup Saturday. The son of The Fiscal Cliff will break from the post four under jockey Nestor Duran. Bred and owned by Rene Rios, the gelding trained by Ricardo Aguirre has compiled a 2-2-1 record from seven starts and has earned more than $28,000.

RACE 7 – $12,000-ADDED TPHBA PAINT HORSE JUVENILE STAKES
Cholula H enters the 330-yard race following a second-place finish in the Grade 2 $74,900 Colors of Houston Futurity. Earlier this season, she was third in her trial for the Colors of Houston Futurity and fourth in her career debut. The filly has finished on the board in all three starts while earning $15,204 for Guerras Racing Stables.

The daughter of Chilitos was bred in Texas by Jorge Haddad. Trainer Gilberto Gonzalez will saddle the 5-2 morning-line favorite from post two with jockey Jose Herbert returning to the irons.

This Cowboys An Eagle will be looking for his second stakes victory of the season with 7-2 early odds. The son of This Is An Eagle enters off a victory in the Colors Of Houston Juvenile on June 6 and jockey Raul Hernandez Jr. will be back in the saddle. Trainer Joseph Manucy conditions the Sandra Garnett-bred gelding for owner Jesus Molina.

RACE 8 – $40,000-ADDED LA VILLITA STAKES
Among the headliners is Karma Cha Ching (9-2), who has emerged as one of the state's top sophomore fillies. She enters on a two-race winning streak highlighted by a gate-to-wire victory in the $176,250 Sam Houston Oaks. The filly has won three races and finished second once in 10 career starts while earning $99,702.

The daughter of Pa Cha Ching is bred and owned in Texas by Sarah Huskey. Trainer Esteban Rubio will send her from post nine with Nestor Duran aboard as the pair seeks a third consecutive victory.

Chieftainess is another major contender (5-1) and the only other entrant in the field with a stakes victory this season. She enters off a win in the John Buchanan Memorial Stakes. James Flores will ride the daughter of Chilitos for trainer Martin Rodriguez. Bred and owned by Mario Rodriguez, she has won three of eight starts and has earned $65,449.

SATURDAY'S STAKES PREVIEW
Saturday, June 27, closes out opening weekend with a 10-race card highlighted by three stakes races showcasing many of the top older Quarter Horses currently competing against some of the toughest competition in the Southwest.

RACE 8 – $40,000-ADDED SAN MARCOS STAKES (G3)
Eight experienced runners are entered at the demanding 870-yard distance, with Eye Will Decide headlining as the 5-2 morning-line favorite after an impressive five-length victory in the Grade 3 Jesse Yoakum Memorial 870 Stakes. The 8-year-old gelding has won both of his starts this season and appears to be in peak form.

The veteran runner has eight wins, nine seconds, and four thirds from 31 starts while earning $234,142. Eye Will Decide is a Texas homebred for Bryon Gardner. The son of Majestic Cartel is trained by Adan Guzman and will break from post eight under Noe Villatoro.

Fire Bolt B will attempt to rebound after seeing his four-race winning streak end when he finished fifth behind Eye Will Decide in the Jesse Yoakum Stakes (G3). The $11,000 TQHA Yearling Sale graduate is a son of Bolt Of Fire and captured the Sam Houston Distance Challenge (G3) in May. He has won six of 16 starts and earned $86,823. Rosendo Pina Garcia will have the riding assignment.

RACE 9 – $40,000-ADDED GARY BABER MEMORIAL STAKES
Ten horses are entered to race 550 yards with Lil Perry Wagon installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite. The 6-year-old gelding has not raced since May 22, when he overcame trouble and pulled away late for a one-length optional claiming victory in his second start of the season.

Owned by Ubaldo Fuentes Jr., the $15,000 Heritage Place Yearling Sale graduate has compiled a record of 7-3-4 from 24 starts while earning $136,774. The son of Lil Kool Wagon finished second in this race last year and will look to improve on that effort Saturday night. Trainer Brittany Tellez will send him from post six under H. Javier Hernandez.

Determined, listed at 8-1 on the morning line, enters as the most recent stakes winner in the field after capturing the Sam Houston 550 Stakes (RG3). He appears to have found his ideal distance after competing primarily at 870 yards in his previous five starts. Raul Hernandez Jr. returns aboard for trainer Shae Cox and will attempt to score another victory at 550 yards.

Onthrocks has not visited the winner's circle in his last six starts, but the son of A Revenant owns five stakes victories at 550 yards and finished third behind Determined in the Sam Houston 550. Nestor Duran will ride for trainer Esteban Rubio and owner Sarah Huskey. The 7-year-old veteran has hit the board in 21 of 33 starts with eight wins and earnings of $258,684.

RACE 10 – $60,000-ADDED KING WILLIAM STAKES (G3)
Last but not least, a field of nine horses aged 3 and up will sprint 350 yards in one of the strongest races of the opening weekend. Leading the field is 2-1 morning-line favorite Church Spire.

The 4-year-old gelding opened his 2026 campaign with a third-place finish against allowance company before returning to defeat the same group. He then stepped into stakes competition and captured the Grade 1 $100,000 Leo Stakes before finishing third in the Grade 1 $250,000 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Invitational Championship Stakes.

Church Spire has compiled a record of 3-2-3 from 16 starts while earning $170,093. Owned by Rancho Garambuyo, the son of KVN Corona was purchased for $26,000 at the Heritage Place Winter Mixed Sale. Trainer Marco Adair Chavez-Gutierrez will saddle the gelding from post six with Jonathan Dominguez aboard.

Seeking redemption is Shakers No Secret, who has finished on the board in three of four stakes starts this season. He was second in the Remington Park Championship Challenge (G2), third in the Leo Stakes (G1), and fourth in the Championship at Sunland Park (G1). In his most recent outing, he finished sixth in the Grade 1 Debbie Schauf Remington Park Invitational Championship Stakes while facing some of the toughest competition in the sport.

The 6-year-old son of Five Bar Cartel will break from the rail under jockey Bryan Candanosa for trainer Marc Jungers. Shakers No Secret has compiled a record of 10 wins, 10 seconds, and six thirds from 40 starts while earning $823,525. He will be seeking his 11th career victory Saturday night.

Opening weekend at Retama Park brings together many of the state's leading Texas-bred sophomores, a competitive field of Paint Horse juveniles, and several accomplished older runners. With six stakes races scheduled over the first three days of the meet, the summer season gets underway with a talented group of horses that have already competed at a high level and now shift their focus to Retama Park's stakes program.

The races at Retama Park can be viewed on Q-Racing Video. In addition to the Q-Racing platform, Retama simulcast betting is available nationwide across all export wagering platforms, tracks, and off-track betting establishments, as well as Advance Deposit Wagering platforms where available.

ABOUT RETAMA PARK
Retama Park is a Class 1 pari-mutuel horse racetrack located in Selma, Texas, just 15 minutes from downtown San Antonio. Live Quarter Horse races take place each summer (June 26 to August 16, 2025), while simulcast wagering and races from around the world are shown daily. Managed by Penn Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ – PENN), Retama Park opened in 1995 and is hosting its 31st season of horse racing in 2026. For more information and racing schedules, please visit www.RetamaPark.com follow on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube.