HOUSTON, TX–Sam Houston Race Park returns to racing this weekend with a full slate of Quarter Horse action on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., with first post set for 6:30 p.m. each night.
Thursday’s nine-race card is built around short-distance sprints, featuring a mix of maiden races, claimers, and allowance company. Friday continues with the track’s popular College Night promotion, offering free admission to fans wearing college gear.
The evening will also showcase ten AQHA Challenge trials, including the Q-Racing Video Distance Challenge-G3, Adequan Derby, and John Deere Juvenile-G3, providing the weekend’s top-level competition.
Saturday night shifts the focus back to developing runners with a 10-race card built primarily around maiden races. The sixth annual Corgi Dog Races will return as part of the evening’s festivities. These beloved pups will dash between horse races, adding a lighthearted and family-friendly element to the live racing action.
Q-RACING VIDEO DISTANCE CHALLENGE-G3 TRIALS PREVIEW
The opening two races will feature twelve distance specialists competing in a pair of 870-yard trials, with the fastest eight advancing to the $43,478 Q-Racing Video Distance Challenge final. Despite the compact field size, the group is loaded with proven runners, setting up a highly competitive pair of heats.
In the first trial heat, Big Lew Love, who hasn’t run since 2024, will be racing for owners Shane and Brooke Snow, who purchased him for $16,000 at last year’s Heritage Place Fall Mixed Sale. Despite taking a break in 2025, the six-year-old horse is a four-time winner, including the Grade 3 Will Rogers Distance Challenge during his last campaign.
The son of Big Lew, trained by Brad Bolen, has earned $88,096 from 21 starts. Bred in Oklahoma by Reliance Rances LLC, the 3-1 morning line favorite is out of Lotta Love For Robyn by First Down Dash. Jockey Alejandro Medina will have the riding call.
Headlining the second trial is Gjr Rooster, who enters as the 2-5 early favorite. The five-year-old gelding enjoyed a standout campaign last season, capturing the Grade 2 Benny Pennington Memorial Stakes and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Distance Championship Stakes, while also finishing second in the Grade 1 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship. With four career victories and seven runner-up finishes, he has compiled earnings of $162,379.
Purchased for $15,000 at the TQHA Yearling Sale, Grj Rooster was bred in Texas by Gerald Rich out of Granny Grump (TB) by A Little Illegal. The son of This Is an Eagle races for owners Richard D. Young, Joe David Yates, and Zack Stinebaugh, who also serves as his trainer.
He will break from post two under Gilberto Linares, who takes the call for the first time. While several accomplished distance runners line up across both trials, Gjr Rooster’s resume makes him the one to beat as the field looks to secure a spot in the May 9 final.
ADEQUAN DERBY CHALLENGE TRIALS PREVIEW
The third and fourth races shift the focus to the three-year-old division, where seventeen sophomores will compete in two 400-yard trials, with the ten fastest times advancing to the $58,344 Adequan Derby final. The group appears evenly matched on paper, adding intrigue to both heats.
In the first trial (Race 3), Vp Dash For Texas, the only stakes winner in the group, will race under jockey Nestor Duran with 4-1 early odds. Bred and owned in Texas by Victor Villarreal, MD, the son of Pyc Prize Time is double registered AQHA/APHA. He won the Ochoa Stakes and Colors of the Alamo Paint and Appaloosa Futurity last year, as well as placing third in the Grade 3 Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge Stakes.
Trained by Noe Rios, Vp Dash For Texas has lit the board seven of ten starts with four wins and $68,574 in the bank. He is out of Gw Money Dash by Dr Beduino.
In the second trial (Race 4), The Valiant Flame enters as the 2-1 morning line choice. The filly has made five career starts, recording two wins and one second-place finish while qualifying for both the Grade 3 Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge and the Grade 2 TQHA Sires Cup Futurity. With $33,436 in earnings, she returns for her first start of the year, looking to establish herself early in her sophomore campaign.
The Texas-bred filly, owned by Torres Buildings, is out of the Valiant Hero mare Valiant Flame. Trainer Brian Stroud will saddle the daughter of The Louisiana Cartel from post four with Jose Herbert aboard. With several lightly raced but capable runners entered, both trials present opportunities for emerging talent to step forward and earn a place in the May 9 final.
JOHN DEERE JUVENILE CHALLENGE-G3 TRIALS PREVIEW
Juvenile action begins in race five, where the first of six 350-yard trials will determine qualifiers for the $106,029 John Deere Juvenile. A total of fifty-four two-year-olds will compete, with many making their first career start, creating a wide-open, unpredictable series of heats.
Among the standouts is Kissem And Leavum, who is entered in the eighth race as the 8-5 morning line favorite. The colt exits the Oklahoma Futurity trials, where he finished a strong second after a late duel, showing both early ability and competitiveness. That effort provides him with one of the more established profiles in a field dominated by first-time starters, giving him an edge as he looks to post a qualifying time.
Sired by Kiss My Hocks and out of the Tac It Like a Man mare Made to Dash, Kissem And Leavum was bred in Oklahoma by Randy Davis. He races for owner and trainer Jose U. Lopez, who purchased him for $53,000 at the Heritage Place Sale. He will break from post three under Noe Castaneda.
While Kissem and Leavum brings proven form into his trial, the remainder of the juvenile division offers a blend of promising newcomers and lightly raced runners, many of whom will be making their first start under the lights.
In the fourth trial heat (Race 10), Jeg Fascination B is the only juvenile entering the trials with a victory already notched in her belt. The daughter of Freighttrain broke her maiden in Louisiana last month under jockey Noe Castaneda, who has the leg up again in Friday’s trial. Trainer Jose Lopez will saddle the bay filly out of Ja Fascination by Mr Jess Perry.
With six trial heats to navigate, the 350-yard dashes are expected to produce fast times and potentially unveil several emerging contenders aiming to return for the May 9 final of the $40,000 John Deere Juvenile.
The Friday night program promises a blend of proven stakes talent and emerging young prospects, setting the stage for a competitive and fast-paced evening at Sam Houston Race Park. With championship berths on the line across all three divisions, every stride will matter as contenders look to secure their place in the May 9 finals.
About Sam Houston Race Park
Sam Houston Race Park is Houston’s premier racing and entertainment facility, located just 15 miles northwest of downtown Houston. Owned by Penn Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ – PENN), the racetrack, which opened in 1994, offers a variety of attractions for businesses, group outings, and families during racing and the off-season. The track is best known for its award-winning dining. It features multiple areas for fans looking for casual to upscale dining options including its Winner’s Circle Restaurant, Jockey Club, Luxury Suites and Pavilion Centre. For more information or tickets to upcoming live racing, concerts and events, please visit www.shrp.com or follow on: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok or YouTube.
By Leann Noguera
