Opens with Trials for $1 Million Ruidoso Futurity May 22
(Ruidoso Downs, NM) Ruidoso Downs Racetrack will open the 2026 race meet on Friday, May 22 at the Downs of Albuquerque featuring trials for the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity for two-year-old quarter horses. The 49-day race meet will feature both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing to be held Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, Sept. 7.
“The Downs of Albuquerque is currently accepting stall applications,” Downs of Albuquerque President of Racing Don Cook said. “The condition book for the first two weeks of racing and the 2026 stakes schedule will be available at the end of the month at www.abqdowns.com, and www.raceruidoso.com. We invite all horsemen to make plans to participate.”
This will be the third consecutive racing season that Downs of Albuquerque has hosted the $3 million All American Futurity scheduled to be run on Labor Day. Approximately 600 quarter horses have been nominated to race in the All-American trials which are scheduled for Aug. 7-8.
Downs At Albuquerque, President of racing Don Cook plans to run a mixed meet with quarter horse and thoroughbred races conducted each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here is the current stakes schedule for the 2026 Ruidoso Downs horse race season pending approval by the New Mexico Racing Commission:
2026 Stakes Schedule
May 25 $45,000-added John Andreini Q.H. Stakes 350 yards
May 30 $50,000-added Jess Burner Q.H. Stakes 400 yards
June 6 $850,000 (est.) Ruidoso Q.H. Derby 400 yards
June 6 $100,000 Ruidoso Q.H. Invitational 400 yards
June 7 $1 Million Ruidoso Q.H. Futurity 350 yards
June 7 $100,000 Ruidoso Q.H. Juvenile 350 yards
June 13 $100,000 (est.) Ruidoso Maiden Stakes 350 yards
June 13 $150,000 (est.) Mountain Top Q.H. Derby 350 yards
June 14 $350,000 (est.) Mountain Top Futurity 350 yards
June 14 $50,000 Mountain Top Q.H. Juvenile 350 yards
June 20 $50,000 Vista Distaff Stakes 350 yards
June 21 $50,000 Sierra Starlet (TB) 5 ½ Furlongs
July 5 $50,000 Land of Enchantment Stakes (TB) 7 Furlongs
July 11 $1 million (est.) Rainbow Q.H. Derby 440 yards
July 11 $350,000 (est.) Rainbow Q.H. Oaks 440 yards
July 11 $100,000 (est.) Rainbow Q.H. Invitational 440 yards
July 12 $1 million (est.) Rainbow Q.H. Futurity 400 yards
July 12 $100,000 (est.) Rainbow Q.H. Juvenile 400 yards
July 18 $175,000 (est.) Zia Quarter Horse Derby 400 yards
July 18 $50,000 Zia Quarter Horse Stakes 400 yards
July 19 $375,000 (est) Zia Quarter Horse Futurity 400 yards
July 19 $50,000 Zia Quarter Horse Juvenile 400 yards
July 19 $50,000 Zia 870 Championship 870 yards
July 25 $45,000 Mr. Jet Moore Q.H. Stakes 400 yards
July 26 $50,000 Road Runner Stakes (TB) 5 and ½ Furlongs
Aug 2 $50,000 Rio Grande Senorita (TB) 5 and ½ Furlongs
Aug 2 $50,000 Rio Grande Senor (TB) 5 and ½ Furlongs
Aug 16 $50,000 Lincoln Stakes (TB) 6 Furlongs
Aug 29 $50,000 Bill Reed Memorial 870 yards
Sept 6 $1 mIllion (est.) All American Q.H. Derby 440 yards
Sept 6 $700,000 (est.) All American Q.H. Oaks 440 yards
Sept 6 $100,000 All American Q.H. Invitational 440 yards
Sept 7 $3 million (est.) All American Q.H. Futurity 440 yards
Sept 7 $200,000 All American Q.H. Juvenile 440 yards
Sept 7 $250,000 All American Q.H. Gold Cup 440 yards
According to the Downs of Albuquerque website, the barn area is scheduled to open for horses and trainers on April 22.
Both annual horse sales will be held at Ruidoso Downs Horse Sales Pavilion. The annual New Mexico-bred Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Yearling Sale will be Saturday, August 15. The annual All American Select Sale will also be held at Ruidoso Downs on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4-5.
Billy the Kid Casino at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack remains open Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The casino will remain open while the horse race meet is being conducted at Downs of Albuquerque.
Courtesy of Tim Keithley, Ruidoso Downs
OKLAHOMA CITY – Trainer Jason Olmstead was never sure how Cardiac Cowboy was going to run in 2025, but he had a good feeling about him in his first stakes race of 2026 at Remington Park.
Olmstead was not wrong as Cardiac Cowboy powered his way to the front and won the $75,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes on Sunday night. The race is a restricted Grade 2 event for Oklahoma-breds, 3-years-old and older.
“He came in here last year, sick, and never really came out of it,” Olmstead said. “But today, he was being real pushy and I just had a feeling he was going to run big.”
Cardiac Cowboy might have won only one race in nine tries last year, but he has started 2026 in fine fashion – winning his first start. The 5-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelding by Flying Cowboy 123, from the Carters Cartel mare Southard Cartel. He was sent off at lukewarm 5-1 odds, but outlasted a hard-charging 4-5 odds-on favorite, Hard to Politic, at the wire for the victory by a head. Jockey Armando Alvidrez drove Cardiac Cowboy hard to the finish line for the win for owners Tom and Lou Ann Smith, and Amber Olmstead of Pryor, Okla.
“He has run all the big races,” Olmstead said. “It was a lackluster 2025 and this was the starting point for our plan to bring him back. He was either going to go up after this race or down. Looks like it’s going to be up. There is a good Oklahoma-bred program (of stakes) for him, so that will be next.”
Alvidrez said he couldn’t ask for anything more from Cardiac Cowboy in this spot.
“He broke fast and did it on his own,” the jockey said. “He is a true professional; very nice.”
Cardiac Cowboy beat two past champions of this race – last year’s winner, Ima Fancy Eye Opener (9-2 odds, who ran fifth) and 2024 winner Ls Jacks Back (19-1, who dead-heated for seventh with Like That Corona in the field of nine).
Cardiac Cowboy covered the 250 yards over a fast track in :13.162 seconds, earning a speed index of 94. The runner-up, Hard to Politic, was a head back and another head in front of third-place finisher Mystic Paint (10-1), who also hails from Olmstead’s barn.
Cardiac Cowboy paid $12.40 to win, $4.40 to place and $3.20 to show. He earned $43,200 from the purse and improved his lifetime record to 28 starts, 11 wins, three seconds and four thirds for a bankroll of $412,556. He was bred by Jo Rice and was never sold at auction.
It was the second win in this series for Olmstead, who also trained the 2023 winner of the Mighty Deck Three Stakes – Apollitical Payoff.
Remington Park racing continues March 12-15, Thursday through Sunday. The first post time is 6 p.m. nightly with the exception of Sundays when the first race goes off at 4 p.m. All times are Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $408 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is underway. The 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be contested on Saturday, March 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Dale Day
OKLAHOMA CITY – The best was saved for last as AJ Remember Me burst to the lead under jockey Juan Pulido in the final trial of the night for the $259,655 Oklahoma Derby, putting up a blazingly fast and best time of the night in :17.430 seconds at 350 yards over a fast track. The colt earned a 94 speed index for his efforts.
The Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby will run as a part of a multiple stakes card on Saturday, March 21. The night is headlined by the 85th-running of the Grade 2, $435,395 Oklahoma Futurity, the longest running futurity in American Quarter Horse racing lore.
AJ Remember Me’s trainer, Josue Garcia, had to wait out an objection claimed by Trackmaster B, alleging interference immediately after the start. After video review, the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission stewards determined the foul claim would not be upheld. That was the best news for AJ Remember Me’s connections, including owner Corinna Sosa of Blanchard, Okla. It was the fourth win in eight starts for the impressive winner. The 3-year-old California-bred colt had already made a case for himself in the past for being a classy horse. The son of Apollitical Jess, out of the Tres Seis mare Remember Robyn, is bred top and bottom to be a runner that flies down the track. His past races are an indication of that.
AJ Remember Me broke his maiden easily by a full length at first asking at Remington Park on March 28, 2025 and was then shipped to the mountain at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. He won a Ruidoso Futurity trial by the same length in his second career start and then ran third in the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity final. He was close to winning his next two starts, losing by a head and then by a half-length. He found the winner’s circle once again in a trial for the Grade 1, $2 Million Futurity at Los Alamitos on the West Coast in California, before finishing second, beaten just a head in the lucrative final at 28-1 odds.
The record for AJ Remember Me coming into Sunday’s Oklahoma Derby trials was seven starts, three wins, two seconds and two thirds for earnings of $449,745. He was purchased from the Heritage Place September Yearling Sale of 2024 for $120,000.
Luziana Man put up the top time in the first of the seven Oklahoma Derby trials but it could not hold up to the effort of AJ Remember Me in the final trial.
The seven trials were conducted in southerly headwinds between 13-17mph.
The other nine qualifiers in Sunday’s Oklahoma Derby trials for 3-year-old Quarter Horses (with jockey, trainer, trial number-race number, times and speed index were):
Remington Park racing continues March 12-15, Thursday through Sunday. The first post time is 6 p.m. nightly with the exception of Sundays when the first race goes off at 4 p.m. All times are Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $408 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is underway. The 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be contested on Saturday, March 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Dale Day
LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA – Perhaps it was not the prettiest race ever run by Keith Nellesen’s Beuteeful, but the results were still effective and delightful for her connections, as the dashing gray filly posted the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1, $415,500 Los Alamitos Oaks during Saturday’s trials held at the Orange County track.
Ridden by Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo for trainer Kristen Watanabe, Beuteeful broke in after starting from post one, then angled slightly outwards as she crossed the gap. She established a daylight lead before holding off the big surge by M and G Farms and Steve Burns’ Shiny New by a neck in a time of :19.787 at 400 yards. In the end, Beuteeful added another victory to her resume to bring her record to six wins in eight career starts at Los Alamitos.
She’ll now enter the Los Alamitos Oaks final to be held on Saturday, March 28 as the top qualifier to California’s richest race for 3-year-old fillies. A total of 22 fillies competed in the three trials held on Saturday night, with the impressive newcomer Ruse Ticle Knockout and the surprising CM Jessa Blue Monday recording the other trial wins. The complete list of qualifiers is as follows: Beuteeful (:19.787), Ruse Ticle Knockout(:19.810), Shiny New (:19.812), Fancy Upp (:19.922), Diamond Cowgirl 123 (:19.981), CM Jessa Blue Monday (:20.070), Walk When I Walk (:20.091), French Valley (:20.154), You Are The Best (:20.154), and Elemyntal (:20.227).
Beuteeful will look to add the Los Alamitos Oaks to her victory in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity last year. Bred in Utah by McColee Land & Livestock, the daughter of KVN Corona out of Budder Think Twice also qualified for both the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity and the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Already with earnings of $313,262, she’ll need to be as sharp as ever when she takes on the other top fillies in the Los Alamitos Oaks. Beuteeful, along with the others in her trial, had to stand behind the gate for some extra time due to the scratch of one of the other fillies in the trial.
“She broke a little slow, perhaps because of the scratch of the other horse,” Sigala Vallejo said. “She’s a great filly and it wasn’t the most comfortable win, but to qualify the way she did, it was a very good race. She may have also been a little confused because we had to take her out of the gate and the time that she waited behind the gate; perhaps that confused her. Fortunately, she ran a good race and she enjoyed another triumph, and now we move to the final.”
Making her Los Alamitos debut, Mi Serenity’s Ruse Ticle Knockout took the lead shortly after the start, opened up a half-length lead early on, and then cruised from there to win by a length under jockey Edwin Escobedo for trainer Eddie Willis. The Apollitical Jess filly, out of the top broodmare Adolph Tres Knockout, improved to five wins from nine starts while posting the second-fastest qualifying time. Bred by Five Puig Racing LLC, Ruse Ticle Knockout ran third in last year’s Grade 3 Black Gold Fillies Futurity and second in the Grade 2 Southwest Juvenile Invitational. Willis won the Los Alamitos Oaks last year with Shaken Goin On, who also arrived at the Cypress track after competing in the Black Gold Fillies Futurity in 2024.
“She’s so professional,” Escobedo said. “She just goes in the gate and is ready to run. She just does it on her own. I just don’t want to mess it up and we just try to get there first. The races before that I’ve ridden her, she really likes to close down at the end, especially at Ruidoso. She really liked 440 as well.”
Ruse Ticle Knockout won her Rainbow Futurity trial at 400 yards and ran a strong third in her trial to the All American Futurity at 440 yards.
Shiny New, a filly by Mpshinning out of the AQHA champion Quirky, was coming on strong when running second to Beuteeful in their trial. Lightly raced, the Valentin Zamudio-trained filly was the fastest qualifier to the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and was third in that final. She won her 2026 debut in her last start and in this outing, she bumped early on but still ran a very good race from post number six. She’s finished in the money in all five career starts. Ruben Lozano has ridden her in all of her starts.
Lozano was also in the irons for trainer Luke Lindsey aboard trial winner CM Jessa Blue Monday, who rallied from an early deficit to win at odds of 15-1. Owned and bred by Randy Dickerson, the filly by Cyber Monday out of Cool Blue Corona held off Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby finalist Walk When I Walk to win this trial.
“I’m thrilled,” Lindsey said. “Ruben said she was struggling early getting away from there for the first five jumps. Then she came flying. To me, it looked like she was ahead because we were watching at an angle; then I saw the drone shot and I saw that she caught them.”
Dickerson, a longtime horseman with ties to the Northwest, and Lindsey have enjoyed many victories together at Los Alamitos over the years.
“(Randy) is like family,” Lindsey said. “We’re down here, we’re trying this out. I’ve trained for him for eight years. We have some good horses right now.”
Courtesy Los Alamitos Publicity
OKLAHOMA CITY – It was Leo Alcala’s world Saturday night and everyone else was just paying him rent. The Remington Park trainer qualified three of the fastest five 2-year-old American Quarter Horses to the finals of the Grade 2, $435,395 final, including the swiftest in A Fortunate Cowboy.
A Fortunate Cowboy covered the 300 yards in his trial in a time of :15.475 seconds, earning a speed index of 90, over the fast track. The time held up from the second trial of the night. Jockey Nestor Duran, who won three races on the night, was aboard A Fortunate Cowboy for Alcala and hit the wire 3-1/4 lengths ahead of the runner-up, Bad N Bougie 123. Duran qualified all three of Alcala’s finalists on Saturday.
Alcala won five races on the card to dominate all trainers competing on the second night of Oklahoma Futurity trials. His other two qualifiers for the finals were Nena C and Ruse Man Crystal, who were victorious in their trials and came in with the fourth- and fifth-fastest times on the evening.
Jockey Juan Pulido also rode three winners on the card, two of those for Alcala, but none qualified for the finals.
A Fortunate Cowboy is a Texas-bred colt by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the mare A Fortunate Choice, who was sired by A Regal Choice. The fastest qualifier is owned by Rolando Resendez of Mission, Texas. The colt was bred by Rigby and Brumby Partnership. Resendez purchased his blazingly fast runner for $35,000 at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale last year in New Mexico. The winner’s share of the final in the Quarter Horse game’s oldest futurity is $174,158.
Flying Cowboy 123 is the leading first crop sire of all time as a stallion and was quite the runner on the racetrack as well. He won 8-of-13 races, earning $965,811. He was named American Quarter Horse Association Racing Champion 2-year-old Colt and AQHA Racing Champion 3-year-old Colt.
A Fortunate Cowboy’s dam (mother), A Fortunate Choice was a graded stakes placed runner, winning 3-of-14 lifetime.
A light and diminishing tailwind gave slight aid to the runners on Saturday at Remington Park. The northerly tailwind started at 5mph in the first trial but was negated to an official reading of zero by the end of the trials.
The five fastest qualifiers Saturday night (jockey, trainer, trial number-race number, times and speed index):
A Fortunate Cowboy, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial two (race three), :15.475, 90
Crystal Boi, Bryan Candanosa, Jose U. Lopez, trial six (race seven), :15.509, 88
Chin Up Buttercup, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial seven (race eight), :15.575, 86
Nena C, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial five (race six), :15.590, 86
Ruse Man Crystal, Nestor Duran, Leo Alcala, trial three (race four), :15.623, 85
The five fastest qualifiers from Friday over a fast track with a headwind in double digits (with jockey, trainer, trial number-race number, times and speed index) were:
Kiss Me Ina Flash, Juan Pulido, Jed Vane, trial five (race six), :15.472, 90
One Fancy Cowboy, Bryan Candanosa, Jose U. Lopez, trial seven (race eight), :15.698, 82
Scott Road, Edwin Escobedo, Sammy Mendoza, trial nine (race 10), :15.711, 82
Whiskey Doc, Cody Smith, Stacey Capps, trial eight (race nine), :15.728, 81
Valiant Sass, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial nine (race 10), :15.746, 81
The nine trials on Friday, the first evening of trials, were conducted into a southerly headwind, ranging from 14-17mph.
The historic 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be the headliner on a night full of stakes events at Remington Park on Saturday, March 21.
Remington Park racing continues Sunday, March 8 with a first post time of 4pm-Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $408 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is underway. The 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be contested on Saturday, March 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy Richard Linihan, Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY – Dunn Ranch purchased Kiss Me Ina Flash for $140,000 at the 2025 Heritage Place September Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City. After the performance Kiss Me Ina Flash put forth Friday night at Remington Park, that purchase is starting to look like the bargain of the year.
The 2-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly Quarter Horse challenged some of the lightning in the skies around Oklahoma on Friday night with her own lightning quick feet. She was easily the fastest qualifier on night one of the Oklahoma Futurity trials. The daughter of Kiss My Hocks, out of the First Moonflash mare Flashing My PJs, stopped the timer for 300 yards in a time of :15.472, earning a 90 speed index over the fast track. The next fastest time of the night from nine trials was :15.698, (82). The run by Kiss Me Ina Flash was as visually impressive as any horse that has stepped foot on the Remington Park track this meet.,
There are two nights of Oklahoma Futurity trials to qualify 10 finalists for the race. The Grade 2, $435,395 Oklahoma Futurity final is scheduled to be run at Remington Park on Saturday, March 21. It will be the 85th running of the oldest futurity in American Quarter Horse racing. The five fastest in the trials on Saturday night will join five from tonight in the finals.
Kiss Me Ina Flash is regally bred to be something special. Her sire (dad), Kiss My Hocks, was a two-time American Quarter Horse Association Racing Champion and his progeny earnings are more than $17 million on the racetrack. In his racing career, Kiss My Hocks won 9-of-12 starts for $1,199,385 in earnings. If that weren’t enough, Kiss Me Ina Flash’s dam (mother), Flashing My PJs can flash a few racing stats of her own. She only raced four times, but she won a Heritage Place Futurity trial and an All American Futurity trial as a 2-year-old and ran seventh in the Grade 1, $3 Million All American Futurity final. She banked $135,130. Flashing My PJs was sired by First Moonflash.
Kiss Me Ina Flash looks to carry on the family talent if she can repeat Friday night’s effort. Under jockey Juan Pulido, she drew off to win by 3-1/4 lengths as the 4-5 favorite. She is trained by Jed Vane for owner Dunn Ranch of Wynnewood, Okla. Kiss Me Ina Flash was bred by Flashing My PJs Partnership.
Other than Kiss Me Ina Flash, the fastest qualifier, here are the rest of the five from Friday (with jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index were:
The nine trials were conducted into a southerly headwind, ranging from 14-17mph.
Remington Park racing continues Saturday, March 7 night with nine more Oklahoma Futurity trials with horses looking for those last five spots in the finals. First post time is 6 p.m. Racing starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 with Oklahoma Derby trials on tap, along with the $75,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes.
Remington Park has provided more than $408 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is underway. The 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be contested on Saturday, March 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Richard Linihan, Remington Park
LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA… After the sun has set over the snow-capped Southern California mountains and the lights of Los Alamitos illuminate the Cypress track, the stakes couldn’t be higher in the eighth race Sunday night. That’s when nine outstanding older horses will enter the starting gate for the running of the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship at 400 yards.
For the elite field assembled, the dash represents the first “Golden Ticket” of the season. The winner earns a presumptive berth into the $700,000 Champion of Champions on December 12—the sport’s most prestigious race for older horse. Securing a spot in March allows a stable the freedom to plan the rest of the winner’s campaign, knowing a place in the December classic is already reserved. The race is named in honor of the late Brad McKinzie, the Los Alamitos track executive who had a profound impact on the sport, and this year’s edition features another powerhouse field.
The biggest name among the nine is the millionaire Lethal Cowboy 123, a runner who has been nearly flawless at the Orange County track. Owned by the partnership of Caliche Walls Venture, LLC, Alan Isbell, Lance Bland, and Jimmy Barton, “The Cowboy” has proven to be a true horse for the course with a stellar record of six wins from just seven starts at Los Alamitos. A dual Grade 1 winner in 2024 with victories in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and the Golden State Million Futurity, his only local blemish came in his most recent start—a surprising fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby. Under the guidance of 2024 AQHA Trainer of the Year Marc Jungers and piloted by Edwin Escobedo—the 2025 Val Tonks Award winner as the track’s top rising jockey—Lethal Cowboy 123 enters 2026 with one singular focus: securing his spot in the Champion of Champions.
“That’s our goal,” Jungers said earlier this meet. Lethal Cowboy 123, who posted a turn-and-work in :12.60 on February 15, will start from the outside post (number nine) while searching for a return to the Los Alamitos winner’s circle. He looks to add to his remarkable record of 10 wins from 14 starts and career earnings of $1,426,127.
Adding elite class and consistency to the mix is Favorite Jesshawk, the standout runner for EG High Desert Farms and trainer Jesus Nunez. A two-time PCQHRA Champion Colt at ages two and three, he has already amassed career earnings of over $414,000. Favorite Jesshawk comes into this race following a strong performance in the Grade 2 Southern California Derby on December 21, where he finished a hard-fought second to Shaken Goin On—the PCQHRA Horse of the Year and AQHA Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. His sophomore campaign also featured a win in the Grade 2 Golden State Derby and a runner-up effort in the Governor’s Cup Derby. Jockey Martin Arriaga will be aboard Favorite Jesshawk as they leave from post eight.
Seeking a return to his stakes winning form is the appropriately named Defending Champ, from the barn of owner Edward C. Allred and trainer Scott Willoughby. This son of Favorite Cartel enjoyed his biggest win last July with a dominant victory in the Governor’s Cup Derby (G2) in which he showed his best speed ever out of the gate instead of just relying on his comeback style. While he looks to get back into the winner’s circle following his last two starts—out of the money efforts in the Southern California Derby trials and the A Ransom Handicap—those races provided more valuable experience against elite company. Known for a powerful closing kick, he remains a major threat if he recaptures his Derby-winning brilliance. Gabriel Lara will pilot from post five.
Also in the hunt is the battle-tested Kevins Wise Corona, owned by Parsons Ranchand trained by Paul Jones. He enters the new season in top form following his second graded stakes win when taking the Grade 3 First Down Dash Handicap this past December. With career earnings of $178,898 and a resume featuring a win in the Grade 3 Kaweah Bar and top three efforts in the Ed Burke Million Futurity, Golden State and Southern California Derby, he has proven he is among the top aged horses on the grounds. A sharp 220-yard bullet workout in :12.50 on February 14 suggests he is primed for a big effort at a distance where he has often shined. Eduardo Nicasio gets the assignment.
Casey Whitaker and Michael McKell’s Rlh Fouronthefloor has made two starts at Los Alamitos, both resulting in strong top-three finishes. In his local debut, the gelding by Jess Got Easier was third to heavyweights Jeriko and Empressum in the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials, just missing a berth to the 2025 Champion of Champions. He followed that with a second-place finish to Kevins Wise Corona in the Grade 3 First Down Dash Handicap to close out the year. A full brother to stakes winner Pattys Saint, the James J. Gonzales II-trained runner enters with seven wins from 16 starts. Christian Cardenas will steer from post seven.
Zane Kiehne’s Holy Pete is the only horse in the field with no local racing experience, but he boasts a powerful resume. The John Stinebaugh trainee won the Ruidoso Invitational as a juvenile and qualified for both the Grade 1 All American Derby and Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby last year. Bred by Bobby Cox, the Favorite Cartel gelding posted a sharp :12.5 turn-and-work on February 15 as he looks for his eighth win in 15 career outings. Francisco Calderon, who has enjoyed a lot of success at Los Alamitos in recent years, will handle the reins.
Franco Ranch and Mario Tellez Montiel’s Show N Tell Cartel enjoyed his biggest win in March 2025 when he scored in the El Primero Del Ano Derby at 10-1 odds. He looks to show off his talents Sunday night from the rail. To be ridden by Cesar Franco for trainer Elena Andrade, Show N Tell Cartel was the “claim of the year” in 2024; Tellez Montiel acquired him for just $16,000 in the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity. He went on to qualify for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity final, was named the PCQHRA Most Improved Horse of the Year, and followed that up with his El Primero win and qualifying efforts for the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby and the Grade 2 Southern California Derby.
Mauro Eli Zaborowsky’s Edberg Verge, a talented Brazilian-bred, brings extensive Grade 1 experience and has hit the board in several major stakes at this track. Though he has only won twice in 17 U.S. starts, he has shown the ability to make up ground late in his last two outings at 400 yards. He benefits from the meet’s hottest rider in Grade 1 races, Henry Reynoso Lopez, while Paul Jones conditions the No Secrets Here horse.
Rounding out the field is Jesus Cuevas’ Special Batch. While he has only won once in 11 career starts, his one taste of stakes action resulted in a solid third-place finish to Eyesa Wagon My Tale in the A Ransom Handicap on December 20. Jonathan Roman will look to guide Special Batch to an upset victory for trainer Valentin Zamudio.
Courtesy Los Alamitos Publicity
OKLAHOMA CITY – Three-time defending champion trainer at Remington Park, Dee Keener, qualified four of the 10 finalists Thursday for the Grade 1, $188,500 Oklahoma Paint and Appaloosa Futurity, set for Saturday, March 21.
Keener’s four finalists included the fastest qualifier of the night, DW Showin D Off, who set the mark to shoot at in the second of six trials on the night, covering 300 yards in a time of :15.776 seconds, earning a speed index of 80 over a fast track. None of the other four trials afterward could match that time.
The six trials were contested into a headwind of 15-17mph.
Jockey Roman Cruz was aboard three of Keener’s four finalists and was in the irons for DW Showin D Off when he popped on top out of the gates with this 2-year-old gelded Oklahoma-bred Paint by the Quarter Horse sire, Uncle D, out of the SF Royal Quick Flash mare Shez Showin Off. DW Showin D Off is owned by Danny J. Watkins of Wagoner, Okla., and will be the one to beat in the finals.
DW Showin D Off did a little bit more than showing off Thursday and in his training race on Feb. 12 at Remington Park. He was not asked to run much by his rider in that schooling race and still won easily by 2-1/4 lengths into a headwind of 16 mph. It was virtually the same wind Thursday on Opening Night when he won his trial by 1-1/4 lengths. The time of :13.95 in the training race was extremely close to the fastest Quarter Horse schooling race time of the day at :13.90. That’s how much talent this Paint possesses.
A lot of the DW Showin D Off talent may come from his sire (daddy), Uncle D. That Quarter Horse was a two-time American Quarter Horse Association Racing Champion and was a winner of one of the top Quarter Horse races of the year in taking down the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico in 2019. His career record was 10 starts, four wins, three seconds and two thirds for $689,165 in earnings.
They call Keener, a native of Inola, Okla., the Paint King because he came into the Remington Park season with 489 wins lifetime with mixed breeds, well ahead of second-place Matt Whitekiller at 442. Keener’s three wins Thursday night boosted him up to 492 trips to the winner’s circle with Paints. It took years for Keener and Whitekiller to pass Lewis Wartchow, the late champion trainer who held that “King” distinction forever at 321 wins prior to his passing 2003.
The other nine qualifiers in Thursday’s six trials for the Paints and just one Appaloosa (with jockey, trainer, trial number (race number), times and speed index) were:
MW Because Im Alive, Cristian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales II, trial four (race seven), :15.798, 79
Limited Jesse, Christian Cardenas, James J. Gonzales II, trial three (race six), :15.817, 78
Chilinator, Cody Smith, Matt Whitekiller, trial three (race six), :15.920, 75
Iam George III, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial one (race four), :15.943, 74
Game Favorite, Roman Cruz, Dee Keener, trial four (race seven), :15.967, 73
Tres of Light, Justine Klaiber, Eddie Willis, trial two (race five), :15.979, 73
Paddy Powers, Mario Delgado, Dee Keener, trial four (race seven), :16.003, 72
Pepperoncini, Mario Delgado, Tyler Crawford, trial two (race five), :16.056, 70
Big Rotney, Cody Smith, Matt Whitekiller, trial six (race nine), :16.063, 70
Keener’s training triple came with Iam George III ($5.40 to win), DW Showin D Off ($5.20) and WF Manfredi ($38), a non-qualifier from the eighth race and fifth trial.
All 10 qualifiers for the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity are Paints.
Remington Park’s Opening Weekend for the 2026 season continues Friday through Sunday, March 6-8. Trials for the $435,395 Oklahoma Futurity will be held both Friday and Saturday with the first race each night at 6pm. Sunday racing begins at 4pm and features trials for the $259,655 Oklahoma Derby and the $75,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes.
Remington Park has provided more than $408 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season is underway. The 85th Oklahoma Futurity will be contested on Saturday, March 21. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Remington Park
LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA – In the years since the La Primera Del Ano Derby was renamed the Los Alamitos Oaks, this Grade 1 event has established itself as one of the premier races for fillies in the nation. Its national impact was immediate: 2024 winner Asscher was named the AQHA World Champion, while 2025 winner Shaken Goin On earned honors as the AQHA Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and PCQHRA Horse of the Year. Other past victors, such as Dreams Divine, Apollitical Patty, and Sweet Tess, have also been recognized as California’s top sophomore fillies.
Trials for the 2026 Grade 1, $415,500 Los Alamitos Oaks take place Saturday night at Los Alamitos, and once again, the lineup of hopefuls is as sturdy as oak. Keith Nellesen’s Beuteefulis one of 24 fillies that will compete in the Oaks trials at 400 yards, with the 10 fastest qualifiers advancing to the final to be held here on Saturday, March 28. She’ll headline the second of three trials, which also features Ed Burke Million finalist Shiny New and graded futurity finalists Fancy Upp, Elemyntal, and the talented AJ Gold Player.
Beuteeful leads the way in the second trial following a juvenile campaign that lived up to her name. The gray daughter of KVN Corona won the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity and qualified for both the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million and the Grade 1 Golden State Million. She finished her freshman year with five wins from seven starts and earnings of $309,262. Her fourth-place finish in the Two Million was one of the few “blemishes” in a season that was otherwise a thing of beauty.
M & G Farms and Steve Burns’ Shiny New returned with as polished a sophomore debut as one could hope for. The daughter of Mpshinning, out of the AQHA Champion Aged Mare Quirky, scored a 3/4-length allowance win at 350 yards on Valentine’s Day. That effort sets her up perfectly for a return to Grade 1 glory. As she enters her Oaks trial, Shiny New brings a record of three wins from four starts, including posting the fastest qualifying time to last year’s Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity.
Kolleen Ledgerwood’s Fancy Upp will be many horseplayers’ top choice to deliver a strong trial effort. The Favorite Cartel filly, out of graded stakes winner Up For It, finished in the money in seven of her eight starts as a juvenile, performing well whenever she stepped up against top-caliber opposition. A two-time winner, she was second against males in the Holiday Handicap on December 28. Fancy Upp also won her trials to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million and the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. The Cesar De Alba trainee finished third in the Breeders Futurity final, trailing only standout runners SM My Valentine and eventual Grade 1 winner Toby Sis.
Meanwhile, Sergio Jimenez’s Elemyntal finished ahead of Fancy Upp when running third in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity final. She has hit the board in five of her seven career starts for trainer Paul Jones.
Trainer James J. Gonzales II brings a solid group to the Oaks trials. Owned by the partnership of Tommy Neal, Kenny Henderson, Todd Nef, and Larry Halfmann, AJ Gold Player has already won twice at Los Alamitos since November, breaking her maiden on November 2 before returning to win an allowance event on December 20. A daughter of Apollitical Jess, she is out of the Corona Cartel mare Mischievous Player, hailing from the family of the great broodmare Dinastia Toll Brz.
Gonzales II will also saddle Mortons Ranch LLC and Ruse Ranch LLC’s Where Is Queen B, who recently outworked AJ Gold Player in preparation for these trials. Making her Los Alamitos debut in the opening Oaks trial, Where Is Queen B arrives after a solid campaign at Lone Star Park and Remington Park. At Lone Star, she ran third in her trial to the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity and finished her juvenile season with an allowance win. The filly by Flying Cowboy 123 is out of the graded stakes-placed mare and $232,000 earner Symbol of Faith. She’ll be facing the likes of In The Lead, Walk When I Walk, and French Valley in the first of three trials.
Two strong efforts in futurity trials last year established Steve Burns’ In The Lead as a contender to watch. Making her sophomore debut in an allowance on January 31, she scored a solid victory by a neck in a 350-yard time of :17.825. Trained by Mike Casselman, In The Lead previously won her trial for the Golden State Million Futurity, defeating a field that included Grade 1 finalist Vyper.
Steve Burns’ French Valley looks to recapture her early juvenile brilliance as she returns to action. A full sister to AQHA Champion Trane Station V, French Valley’s first four career outings resulted in a pair of wins and a pair of second-place finishes. One of those runner-up efforts came in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity, where only PCQHRA Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Jess Im Worth It proved better. While she has finished out of the money in her last four starts, the talent remains for her to return to a more fertile, winning valley.
The Estate of Barry Woodhouse’s Walk When I Walk returns five weeks after facing males in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby. The Favorite Cartel filly was a four-time winner in 2025, and she should relish the return to facing her own sex for trainer Sergio Morfin.
The final trial will be headed by Diamond Cowgirl 123, a gem of a filly whose record includes a victory in the Texas Classic Juvenile at Lone Star Park in November. She followed that with a strong second-place finish to the highly regarded Shiny New on Valentine’s Day. Marc Jungers, who conditioned 2024 Oaks winner Asscher, trains Diamond Cowgirl 123 for the Diamond Cowgirl 123 partnership.
Parsons Ranch’s The Lady Is A Vamp should also thrive in this spot after a tough out against open rivals in the Winter Derby trials. She previously won her trials to both the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and the Golden State Million Futurity, qualifying for both Grade 1 finals.
The final trial will also feature two exceptional newcomers: Michael McKell’s Fire In The Whole, winner of the Grade 3, $91,000 Bitterroot Futurity in Idaho, and Mi Serenity’s Ruse Ticle Knockout, who was third in the Restricted Grade 3 Black Gold Futurity for trainer Eddie Willis. Purchased for $210,000, the Apollitical Jess filly was the runner-up in the Grade 2 Southwest Juvenile Invitational at Zia Park on December 14. Ruse Ticle Knockout is a full sister to superstar broodmare As And Js, winner of the Grade 2 Junos Request and a high-level performer in the Champion of Champions and Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap.
Courtesy of Los Alamitos Publicity
OKLAHOMA CITY – If training races are any indication, count on the stable of owner Aurelio Juarez of Cleburne, Texas, to have a banner race meeting at Remington Park.
For the second day in a row, a Juarez horse was the fastest of the day in 10 training races for first-time starters preparing for the upcoming American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa meet that starts next week on Thursday, March 5. Today, it was Just Delightful that was the swiftest of 10 races at 250 yards.
A 2-year-old Utah-bred son of Corona Cartel, out of the Dash Ta Fame mare Our Genuine Delight, Just Delightful stopped the timer in :13.543 on a fast track to win his training race by a neck, earning a 78 speed index with a 10 mph tailwind. The wind, for the most part, did not deviate much from first to last race over the fast track while temperatures stayed around 70 degrees.
On Wednesday, Juarez owned the fastest runner with Running Cowboy 123 finishing in a time of :13.473 with a tailwind of 7 mph. Running Cowboy 123 was a $230,000 purchase for Juarez from the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale in New Mexico last year, but he got the bargain basement price for today’s fastest, buying Just Delightful for $45,000 from that same sale. Trainer J.J. Gonzales II will be handling both horses. Just Delightful was ridden to victory Thursday by the same jockey that rode Running Cowboy 123 in his training race, Jesus Olivas.
How is this for pedigree on Thursday’s fastest horse? On the top side, Just Delightful’s sire Corona Cartel was a legendary Quarter Horse during his racing career and then became one of the all-time top sires in the history of the game. His progeny earnings exceeding $50 million. Corona Cartel won 6-of-14 starts lifetime, including the Grade 1 1996 Los Alamitos Million Futurity. He earned $557,142 on the track back when that was a huge amount of money in a Quarter Horse bankroll.
On the bottom side of the bloodlines for Just Delightful, Dash Ta Fame’s offspring have earnings of more than $37 million. The training race winner’s dam (mother), Our Genuine Delight, only raced four times, but won twice at Delta Downs in Louisiana.
Olivas didn’t break on top from the gate with Just Delightful, but was easily the winner at the finish without asking this horse to run. The colt did it pretty much on his own. J.J. Gonzales II had the top two fastest horses of the day and three of the top four.
The other training race winners (2-year-old Quarter Horses unless otherwise noted), their times (in order of fastest to slowest winners), speed index, trainers and schooling race number:
Thursday, February 26 workouts
A few horses of note trained Thursday morning before the schooling races. Two stakes winners and a winner of several prominent trials all went to the racetrack to stretch their legs over 220 or 250 yards – Catchn Southern Rays, Ding Dang Dulce and Allegiant Air.
It was the second official workout for the upcoming meet for Catchn Southern Rays, a 4-year-old Oklahoma-bred filly from the barn of trainer Stacy Charette-Hill. Catchn Southern Rays worked 220 yards in a time of :12.96, handily. It was the second workout for her in the past couple of weeks. She also stopped the timer for 220 yards in :13.20, handily.
Catchn Southern Rays is a daughter of Apollitical Jess, out of the PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Mary Paintyourwagon and is owned by Leann J. Burns. She won the Black Gold Fillies Futurity at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., on Nov. 12, 2024. Her best effort at Remington Park was winning a Heritage Place Oaks trial on May 11 last year as a 3-year-old. The filly also ran second in the Heritage Place Juvenile Stakes on June 1, 2024 in Oklahoma City. Her career record sits at 15 starts, six wins and two seconds for earnings of $301,704. Catchn Southern Rays was also bred by Burns.
Owner-trainer of Ding Dang Dulce, Haley Hobbs sent this 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred gelded son of Dulce Sin Tacha to the track for a 250-yard prep for his first race since Nov. 15 when he was last seen at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. This gelding, out of the Valiant Hero mare Valiant Strawfly, has won half of his races lifetime (4-of-8), including the Northlands Futurity at Canterbury Park in Minnesota on Aug. 21, 2025. Ding Dang Dulce was bred by Neff Hogue Farm. His career record is 8-4-1-1, $80,887.
Ding Dang Dulce worked in a time of :13.81, handily from the gate.
Allegiant Air, a 3-year-old California-bred trained by Trey Wood, got a clocking of :13.91, handily at 250 yards. This filly, as a 2-year-old, raised some eyebrows in tough trials last year. The daughter of Favorite Cartel, from the One Famous Eagle mare Eagle On the Fly, won an All American Futurity trial on Aug. 4, 2025 in Albuquerque, N.M., but did not race in the final of that Grade 1 $3 million race. She also won a Ruidoso Futurity trial on May 24 without running in that final at Ruidoso Downs, and a West Texas Futurity trial on March 16 at Sunland Park. She did race in that final for owner Norman W. Allen, and could do no better than sixth. She was bred by Steve D. Burns, DVM. Her career record coming into this meet is 4-3-0-0, $57,785.
Courtesy of Richard Linihan, Remington Park
The Remington Park has provided more than $407 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season begins March 5. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
OKLAHOMA CITY – The trials for the Oklahoma Futurity will dominate the second and third evenings of the upcoming Remington Park American Quarter Horse Season. A total of 18 trials were put together this morning, with nine to be contested on both March 6 & 7.
The historic Oklahoma Futurity, Quarter Horse racing’s oldest futurity, will be contested for the 85th time on Saturday, March 21. Originally started in in 1947, the race has been held at Remington Park since 2006.
Trainer Trey Wood saddled Flying Joy 1 to victory in the 2025 Oklahoma Futurity. He has entered 17 two-year-olds to test the 300-yard trials next week with nine on the Friday, March 6 card and eight more for Saturday, March 7.
The first race on both nights of Oklahoma Futurity trials will be at 6pm. The season opens on Thursday, March 5, also at 6pm. All times are Central.
Courtesy Remington Park
Remington Park has provided more than $407 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season begins March 5. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Ruidoso Futurity-G1
$1,000,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-May 22-23
Finals-June 7
Ruidoso Juvenile
$100,000 Estimated Gross Purse
June 7
Ruidoso Derby-G1
$850,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-May 24
Finals-June 6
Ruidoso Invitational Stakes
$100,000 Estimated Gross Purse
June 6
Rainbow Futurity-G1
$1,000,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-June 26-27
Finals-July 12
Rainbow Juvenile
$100,000 Estimated Gross Purse
July 12
Rainbow Derby -G1
$1,000,000Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-June 28
Finals-July 11
Rainbow Invitational Stakes
$100,000 Estimated Gross Purse
July 11
Rainbow Oaks-G1
$350,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-June 28
Finals-July 11
All American Futurity-G1
$3,000,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-August 7-8
Finals-September 7
All American Juvenile
$200,000 Estimated Gross Purse
September 7
All American Derby-G1
$1,000,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-August 9
Finals-September 6
All American Invitational
$100,000 Estimated Gross Purse
September 6
All American Oaks-G1
$700,000 Estimated Gross Purse
Trials-August 9
Finals-September 6
Courtesy The Downs at Albuquerque
RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM — February 25, 2026 — Ruidoso Downs Race Track in partnership with All American Horse Sales LLC has announced the official schedule for its 2026 yearling sales season.
The prestigious Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale will be held September 4–5, 2026, at the Ruidoso Horse Sale Pavilion. The two-day sale falls on Friday and Saturday of Labor Day weekend, setting the stage for the running of the All American Futurity on Monday, September 7, 2026, at The Downs at Albuquerque.
Earlier in the season, the New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, at the Ruidoso Sale Pavilion. The sale will showcase a strong lineup of New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.
Trials for the All American Derby, All American Oaks, and the All American Futurity are set for August 7–9 at The Downs at Albuquerque, highlighting a full weekend of elite competition leading into the sales season.
Consignors planning to participate in the New Mexico-Bred Yearling Sale must submit entries by May 1. The entry deadline for the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale is May 15.
For additional details, contact All American Horse Sales, LLC at 575-378-4474, visit raceruidoso.com/horse-sales, or email saleoffice@raceruidoso.com or wwiggins@raceruidoso.com.
by Speedhorse
OKLAHOMA CITY – Trainer Sebastian Gonzales had a huge day during the 10 training races at Remington Park on Wednesday, winning four races, including the four fastest of the day. His fastest was Running Cowboy 123, who won the fourth race of the day.
When owner Aurelio Juarez of Cleburne, Texas, purchased Running Cowboy 123 for $230,000 at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale last year, he knew the possibilities of having a fast Quarter Horse were high.
The 2-year-old California-bred Quarter Horse gelding didn’t do anything in his training race at Remington Park on Wednesday that would prove his owner or Gonzales wrong.
Gonzales sent out 10 horses Wednesday, winning races four, seven, eight and nine. He also ran second in two of those races. The Sebastian Gonzales stable looks strong this meet and he has 10 more horses to send out in Thursday’s 10 training races that start at 11 a.m.
Running Cowboy 123, a gelded son of Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Zulu Dragon mare Running Dragon, put up a time of :13.473 for the 250 yards, earning a speed index of 81, the fastest of the day. It was only the second time in three weeks of training race sessions that a horse has surpassed the 80-speed index on the chart. He did his with a tailwind of 7 mph. Running Cowboy 123 won his schooling event by 2-3/4 lengths. The only other training race winner this meet breaking the 80-mark, Gold Prize Honey, registered a time of :13.35, but did it with a 21 mph tailwind on Feb. 19 here, earning an 86.
When a colt is purchased for a hefty amount, such as the $230,000 for Running Cowboy 123, gelding him is a tough decision. It makes a huge dent in the could-have-been earnings he might make as a stud after his racing days.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Gonzales. “But we wouldn’t have gotten out of him what we did today if we hadn’t cut him. Before, when he was a colt, he would pay attention to us for about a minute and then go back to screwing around, turning his head in the gate and looking around.”
If a gelding, however, were to win a million-dollar race like the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity in May, one would get back that purchase price in a hurry.
“That’s what we are pointing him toward, the Heritage Place,” Gonzales said. “We might try to get in a maiden race before then, but we’ll see how he comes back (from this schooling race).”
Juarez owns a couple of oil businesses in Texas, according to Gonzales. So now he has one more thing with which he could make some big money.
“We loved the way he looked at the sale and loved his breeding, so we decided to take a chance,” said Gonzales. “Flying Cowboy 123 is a hot sire.”
Flying Cowboy 123 is a Leading Sire and is the Leading First Crop Sire of All-Time, according to StallionESearch.com. Remington Park fans might recognize a progeny of his named House of Lords, who won the 2025 Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby. In his racing career, Flying Cowboy 123 won 8-of-13 starts and $965,811. He was the AQHA Racing Champion 2-year-old Colt (2018) and AQHA Racing Champion 3-year-old Colt (2019) .
Running Cowboy 123’s dam (mother), Running Dragon, won 11-of-19 starts lifetime for earnings of $702,217. She was a multiple graded stakes winner.
Jockey Jesus Olivas rode Running Cowboy 123 to his impressive schooling race win.
“For the most part he is going to ride for us full time here this year at Remington Park,” said Gonzales. “He’s young, 23 or 24 years old and has ridden for us in New Mexico and Texas. We have a lot of faith in him.”
The other training race winners (2-year-old Quarter Horses unless otherwise noted), their times (in order of fastest to slowest winners), speed index, trainers and schooling race number:
Workouts
Talias Cowboy, likely the hardest luck runner in the Leo Alcala stable, worked out Wednesday morning at 220 yards and stopped the timer in :12.94, handily over the fast track. This 3-year-old Texas-bred Quarter Horse filly by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Panther Mountain mare Panther Speed, is 5-for-5 lifetime with $43,775 in earnings. That’s the good news. The bad news is she has won five of the top futurity trials in the country, but never ran in any of the finals.
She started her career at Remington Park in the Heritage Place Futurity trials and won that on May 8, 2025. No final, however. Moved on to New Mexico and ran in the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurity trials. She won each of her trials for those events but again, did not make the final.
Talias Cowboy’s fifth win came in the Dash For Cash Futurity trials at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2025, but did not run in that final. That was the last time she raced and is prepping for her first race as a 3-year-old at Remington Park. She is owned by Triple One Ranch and was bred by Ted G. Abrams.
Other workers of note included Flying Wrangler, a graded stakes placed Quarter Horse, and Pretty Lil Poison, a stakes winning Paint at Remington Park last year.
Flying Wrangler, an Oklahoma-bred 4-year-old gelding by Flying Cowboy 123, out of the Okey Dokey Dale mare Docs Dusty Dale, had the bullet work for 220 yards in :12.26, handily from the gate. That gelding is owned by Dusty Rose Ranch, also the breeder, and is trained by Stacey Capps. Flying Wrangler ran fourth in the Remington Park Futurity after winning her trial here in 2024, and then was impressive as a 3-year-old, picking up a check for third place in the Grade 1 Remington Park Derby on April 19, 2025. Her lifetime record is 17 starts, five wins, two seconds and three thirds for $171,142. She was a stakes winner at Fair Meadows in Tulsa, Okla.
Pretty Lil Poison, a winner of the Grade 1 $120,800 American Paint Classic on May 2, 2025 at Remington Park, also hit the track Wednesday for her first workout of the pre-season for trainer Matt Whitekiller. The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred daughter of multiple World Champion Painted Turnpike, out of the Tac It Like a Man mare Miss Fly On Tac, covered 220 yards in :12.45, handily. The Paint filly is owned and was bred by Whitekiller. Her lifetime record is 8-3-1-2, $83,456.
Just eight days from the beginning of the season and the population of the Remington Park stable area continues to grow. Currently 1,135 equine athletes have residence at Remington Park.
Remington Park has provided more than $407 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season begins March 5. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Richard Linihan, Remington Park
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Opening Night racing program for the 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season was drawn today. A card of 10 races will greet fans and players as the new year of racing begins in Oklahoma City on Thursday, March 5.
A total of 93 horses entered the 10-race card for an average field size of 9.3 per race. The first night of the season features six trials for the Grade 1 Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity. The trial heats, for 2-year-old Paints and Appaloosas, will be contested at 300 yards with the fastest 10 moving on to the March 21 final, worth an estimated $200,000.
Dee Keener, seeking his fourth consecutive leading trainer title at Remington Park, entered 20 of the 58 going into the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity trials. Trainer Matt Whitekiller entered 16 into the trials. The trials include 57 Paints and just one Appaloosa
Keener has won the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity six times in his career. He will attempt to win the race for a second consecutive season. He saddled Turbulent to the win in the 2025 edition.
Paints who posted the fastest 250-yard training race time for their breed in the pre-season are scattered throughout the trials on Opening Night. DW Showin D Off, tops for Paints on Feb. 12, will be in the second trial, race five on the night. The fourth trial, race seven for the night, will have MW Bcause Im Alive who was the top Paint on Feb. 19.
The sixth and final trial, race nine on the night, features a pair of top training race Paints. Big Rotney who was the fastest Paint on Feb. 11 and Js Cowgirl Chicken, top on Feb. 18 will battle with eight other rivals.
Total purses for the 10 races on Opening Night reached $129,000. The richest race on the card is the 10th and finale, an allowance race for Oklahoma-breds at 300 yards, seeking their second career win.
Oklahoma Futurity trials, for 2-year-old Quarter Horses, will headline the race cards for Friday and Saturday, March 6 and 7. Trials for the Oklahoma Derby, for 3-year-old Quarter Horses, will lead the way for the Sunday, March 8 card. Also on March 8, the $75,000 Mighty Deck Three Stakes for Oklahoma-breds.
Remington Park racing will begin nightly at 6pm with Sunday racing starting at 4pm. All times are Central.
Remington Park has provided more than $407 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District. The 2026 Remington Park American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season begins March 5 and continues through May 30. Remington Park presents year-round simulcast racing and casino gaming. Guests must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or to enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
Courtesy of Dale Day, Remington Park
Photo Caption : DW Showin D Off, the top Paint winner in pre-season training races on March 12, is among 58 entered into six trials for the Oklahoma Paint & Appaloosa Futurity on Thursday, March 5 at Remington Park. The first night of the 2026 racing season begins at 6pm-Central.
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Wednesday, February 25, 2026) – Indiana Quarter Horse racing is once again preparing to host another season of record breaking purses for the 2026 Stakes Schedule at Horseshoe Indianapolis. A total of 34 stakes will combine for estimated purses of $2.34 million following a record breaking season last year that saw the state’s all-time richest Quarter Horse race with the running of the Restricted Grade 3 $359,600 Miss Roxie Little Futurity.
Two Restricted Grade 3 races will highlight the 2026 season of Quarter Horse racing, featuring the Quarter Horse Racing Association of Indiana (QHRAI) Stallion Service Auction (SSA) Futurity and the Miss Roxie Little Futurity. The QHRAI SSA Futurity is set for Saturday, August 29 while the Miss Roxie Little Futurity is part of the lineup Saturday, October 24 for Indiana Champions Day.
“It is truly amazing to see the growth of our Indiana Quarter Horse program over the past few years,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. “The racing program has become incredibly competitive and to see the nomination lists and trials filled with additional horses is a true testament of the progress the industry has shown and the investment our horsemen and women are making in the program. We are proud to partner with QHRAI and Quarter Horse Breed Development to establish such a strong stakes schedule throughout our 123-racing season.”
New in 2026 is the Horseshoe Indianapolis Oaks open to three-year-old fillies. Trials for the event will be run Wednesday, October 21 with the top 10 returning for the $50,000 final set for Thursday, November 12.
“We worked with QHRAI to provide a race for our local trainers who have invested in fillies they eventually plan to move into the brood mare ranks for Indiana,” added Halstrom. “The Horseshoe Indianapolis Oaks is in a perfect spot at the end of our season to attract new horses and encourage future participation in our state breeding program.”
Six Saturdays have been dedicated to Quarter Horse racing throughout the season. Racing will be held at 10:45 a.m. May 30, June 27, July 18, August 8, August 29, and October 3. Each Saturday features trials and stakes action, keeping the stakes program vibrant during the season. Two Saturday have been tagged as Quarter Horse Stakes Day, featuring purses in excess of a half-million on both Saturday, July 18 and Saturday, August 29. Many of the races from last season set new records for purses offered and with growing interest and participation, records are sure to be broken again in 2026.
For a full list of 2026 Quarter Horse stakes for Horseshoe Indianapolis, go to the Website at www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing.
The 24th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse returns Tuesday, April 7. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.
Photo of Rock N The Beach, 2025 winner of the Restricted Grade 3 Miss Roxie Little Futurity – ridden by Rolando Pina by Coad Media
Courtesy of Tammy Knox
February 24, 2026 – Altoona, IA. Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel is pleased to announce updates on our upcoming Quarter Horse racing season that begins June 8 and continues for 56 race days through September 26 for the 2026 mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse season in Iowa. The Thoroughbreds will start the 2026 racing season on May 2 with 18 Thoroughbred-only race days through June 7 and two additional Thoroughbred-only race days on July 10 and July 11 to complete the 76-day horse racing schedule in Iowa.
A preview of Quarter Horse races from June 8 through June 22 is now available online along with the 2026 stall application form, Quarter Horse stakes schedule listing, horse health requirements to stable on grounds and all Prairie Meadows / I.Q.H.R.A. Futurity and Derby Nomination Forms for 2026.
The 2026 Quarter Horse stakes schedule will feature 23 stakes worth an estimated $2.1 million highlighted with the following Futurities and Derbies estimated to reach or surpass $100,000 in value:
Open and Iowa bred aged Quarter Horse runners will be featured throughout the season highlighted with the Grade 3 $50,000g Keokuk Stakes, $40,000g Cy-Hawk Stakes (IA), Grade 3 $30,000a PRM Distaff Challenge, Grade 2 $45,000a PRM Championship Challenge, Grade 3 $45,000a Covered Bridges, Grade 3 $50,000g Two Rivers, $70,000g Future of Iowa (IA) and $70,000g Terrace Hill (IA).
For Quarter Horse owners and trainers, please be advised that nomination payments begin March 1st for The Hawkeye Futurity (IA), Cyclone Derby (IA), Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity and Derby. Also, please note that any finalist for a stake race that has nomination, sustaining and/or late supplemental payments in order to be eligible to participate must be stabled on grounds from the scheduled date of time trials until the final has run regardless if time trials were held or not. Details on Quarter Horse finalists stabling on grounds can be found in the 2026 Iowa Quarter Horse Hair Testing Protocols also available online and in the General Conditions for all PRM / IQHRA Futurity & Derby nomination forms. This provision will apply to AQHA Racing Challenge races here at Prairie Meadows as well.
Additional information released by Prairie Meadows Racing Department:
Visit the Racing section for the latest 2026 information at https://www.prairiemeadows.com/racing as it becomes available. If you can’t make it to the track please check out and subscribe to our Live Stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@PrairieMeadowsLiveRacing and never miss a second of the action here at Prairie Meadows!
To continue receiving information about the 2026 live horse racing season, visit https://www.prairiemeadows.com/signmeup
About Prairie Meadows
Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989 with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given more than $2.4 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, sports wagering, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.
Louisville, KY (February 23, 2026) — Coady Media is proud to announce the launch of the 2026 Equine Pro / Am Photography Competition, created to discover, showcase, and support emerging talent in equine photography. Open to both professional and amateur photographers, the competition offers participants a dynamic platform to showcase their work and gain valuable exposure in the equestrian and racing industries.
Entries will be accepted from March 15, 2026, through April 15, 2026. The competition will feature multiple categories and weekly elimination rounds. The entry portal will be shared on Coady Media socials one week before entries open. (March 8, 2026). To advance, participants must secure public votes by sharing their submissions within their designated categories. Selected categories will feature cash sponsorships, to be announced in the coming weeks.
Awards & Recognition: Participants who advance through all competition rounds will be eligible for public voting to determine Best of Show winners:
Separate Best of Show honors will be awarded within both Amateur and Professional divisions. In addition to public voting, a panel of industry professionals will review finalist submissions.
Eligibility & Terms: To maintain fairness, entries will be divided into two divisions:
Amateur Division: Open to photographers who a media company has not paid, issued official media credentials, or formally endorsed by a professional media organization.
Professional Division: Includes photographers who earn more than $600 per year from photography or who have been paid, credentialed, or officially endorsed by a company, client, or media entity.
Participants can submit up to 5 entries. Entries that do not meet the eligibility requirements will be disqualified. Additional submission guidelines, deadlines, sponsorship announcements, and official voting details will be released in the coming weeks. This competition is open only to U.S. citizens. Must be 16 years or older to compete unless entering in the Under-16 category.
Sponsorships: If an entity is interested in sponsoring a category, please contact Cady Coulardot. For updates, follow Coady Media on social media or visit CoadyMedia.com.
Courtesy of Coady Media
