Apollitical Mission Tops Qualifiers in Harley Greene Derby Trials 

L Conejo surged past favorite Jjs Sweet and Sassy to win the $29,000 North Star State Derby by a head Wednesday at Canterbury Park. The 3-year-old Minnesota bred quarter horse covered 400 yards in 20.083 seconds under jockey Fernando Fonseca-Soto. L Conejo is owned and trained by Haley Hobbs. He paid $6.20 to win.

“[L Conejo] has gotten more mature,” Fonseca-Soto said. “Last year he was not focused. I think he will keep getting better.”

L Conejo recorded his second win while making his 11th career start. He made three starts at Remington Park this spring. “He’s been running 400 yards and been doing really good,” Hobbs said. “He’s super calm, easy to train, loves his job.”

The gate crew had their hands full loading Holy Dynasty into the starting gate before the 300-yard North Star State Futurity but once loaded, the 2-year-old Minnesota bred did not disappoint his owner and breeder Dan Kjorsvik. Jockey Alfredo Triana, Jr. guided Holy Dynasty to a 3/4 length win in the $29,000 race, passing favorite Sophey late and holding off a charge from Del Cartel, trained by Hobbs. Holy Dynasty, trained by Patrick Swan, paid $13.40 to win.

“The gate crew did a great job,” Kjorsvik said. “These horses are two-year-olds but a lot of them are pretty green. I can’t thank the gate crew enough for their professionalism. He’s got a big stride and I think as he gets older, he’s going to keep developing.”

Handle on the nine-race card was $1,204,322. Racing at Canterbury Park resumes Saturday at 5 p.m.

Pedro Barbizan Santiago Leite’s Miss Isao Jqm will go after her richest stakes win of the meet when she faces New Mexico invader and graded stakes winner Chicka Boom Baby and the multiple stakes placed filly Beach Walk in the running of the $75,000 Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes at 350 yards on Saturday night at Los Alamitos. 

A full field of 10 distaffers will race in the Abigail, which is the final leg of the Pick 6 sequence, which will feature a carryover of $32,390. With the new money to be wagered on Saturday, the total pool in the Pick 6 should be over $120,000. 

Miss Isao Jqm will also be going after her third stakes victory of the year after scoring in the Dashingly in January and then the Virginia Hyland in April. The 6-year-old Brazilian-bred mare has been a standout in the local stakes division, finishing second or better in all four of her starts at that level plus also running second in a strong allowance event on February 1. 

The 350-yard distance is right up Miss Isao Jqm as all her success this season has come at that distance. Trained by James Glenn, Jr. and ridden by Eduardo Nicasio, Miss Isao Jqm does enter this race after running second to the brilliant Grade 1 winning 3-year-old filly Shaken Goin On in the Grade 2 Miss Princess Handicap on May 4. The Brazilian won the Ginger Hyland by a neck over One Sweet Duck and the Dashingly by a half-length over Temple Court. One Sweet Duck and Temple Court will both look to avenge those defeats in the Abigail.

Robert Driggers and Ben Ivey’s Chicka Boom Baby arrives with five wins and $273,147 in her outstanding career. Previously trained by Wes Giles and conditioned locally by Albert Valles, Chicka Boom Baby won the Restricted Grade 2 New Mexico Classic Futurity in 2023 and has finished second in last year’s Zia Derby and third in both the (RG1) New Mexico Filly & Mare Championship Stakes in 2024 and Grade 2 Lou Wooten & Syndey Valentini Stakes in 2025.

Gentry Farms’ Beach Walk was third to Shaken Goin On in the Oaks final and in her most recent start race second in the La Pacifica Stakes, both efforts coming against 3-year-old fillies. She’ll be facing older mares for the first time. 

The field will also feature two other sophomore fillies in Call Her Perfect and VGK Zigfield Follies. In the Mode, who faced males in the A Ransom last year, and La Famosa Vaquera, who was third in the Miss Princess, will complete the field. 

There seems to be no stopping the fast filly HAD TO BE FABULOUS as Carol and Jaime Robertson’s 3-year-old coasted to her sixth consecutive win at Ajax Downs on June 11, taking the fastest of two Trials for the $55,000 Ontario Bred Derby. 

In front of an enthusiastic crowd on a warm afternoon, Had To Be Fabulous and jockey Ismael Mosqueira breezed to a 1 3/4-length win in the 300-yard dash, stopping the clock in 15.538 for a hefty 92 speed index. At the finish, Mosquiera was simply trying to slow the Bryn Robertson trainee down.”The farther she went, she just wanted to go faster,” said Mosquiera. “It’s important to qualify for the final but you want to save something.”
Had to Be Fabulous, a half sister to multiple Champion Had to Be Ivory, has won 8 of 9 starts.

There was plenty of excitement for the first Trial as first time starter EMBRACE YOUR FATE, the first racehorse owned by famous Canadian stunt performer and animal trainer RICK PARKER, charged to an impressive win, overcoming a step-slow start to score in 15.711 for an 87 speed index. Parker and his actress/stunt performer wife Sue own Canadian Wrangler, which supplies animals for films. They won an ACTRA  Award in 2019 for lifetime achievement. The couple are from Schomberg, ON.

“Sue used to work with [trainer] John McInerney at Woodbine and she was coming to Ajax Downs to help him,” said Parker. “I told her she might as well have a racehorse. It’s fun and it was great seeing the crowd here.” Embrace Your Fate was bred by McInerney’s partner Michelle Woodley.

The final for the Ontario Bred Derby is July 2, with a first race twilight post time of 4:15 p.m.

BRIAN BELL won career race number 799 on Wednesday aboard Jennifer Zurowski’s NADIR, who broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths, racing 330 yards in 15.839 for a stunning 99 speed index. Bell, the winningest jockey in Quarter Horse racing history, has a chance to reach 800 wins this Sunday, June 15 on a special Father’s Day racing program beginning at 12:55 p.m.
Parking and admission are always free at Ajax Downs. You can watch and wager on the races trackside or from the expansive simulcast room. Wagering is also available through www.HPIBET.com. 
Do you have a group or company event? Call ahead to reserve the trackside VIP room to enjoy food, drink and mutuels. Fans may also reserve outdoor tables at the track for $25.   Want to get involved in Quarter Horse ownership? Contact the QROOI at 905 – 426-7050 for details.

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