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Sweetwater Downs to Run the Richest Horse Race in Wyoming History

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©Gene Wilson & Associates

Wyoming Horse Racing’s (WHR) Sweetwater Downs has carded a contentious field of 10 two-year-olds to contest the $250,000 Sweetwater Downs Quarter Horse Futurity this Saturday, September 6, 2025. The $250,000 purse is the largest in Wyoming Horse Racing history and highlights a 10-race card at the Rock Springs oval. The ten fastest runners from the Aug. 23 trials earned the right to compete in the 350-yard final.

Daisy Carlson and Joe Goggins’ Deja Dulce (7-2 morning lines odds) is expected to be the favorite for Trainer Jess Matt. The sorrel gelding by Dulce Sin Tacha was the fastest qualifier in the trials (0:17.324.7 seconds), recording an impressive 99 speed index figure. A winner of $129,885, Deja Dulce is by far the high money earner in the field and has put together a record of four wins and one second in seven lifetime starts. Jacob Cardenas will be on board the Oklahoma-bred who is seeking his fourth consecutive victory, including a most recent tally in the Wyoming Downs Futurity on July 25th. 

Those expecting to challenge the favorite include Robert Ortiz’s Fooseylady and Bill Doenz’s Cowboy Cadilac. Fooseylady (4-1 morning line) posted a sharp and gritty win in her trial recording the third fastest time of 0:17.400.3 and earning a 97-speed index. Jockey Minor Arana returns in the saddle on the daughter of Foose who has posted wins in three of her four lifetime starts. The Utah-bred is trained by the owner Ortiz and will break from the outside gate.

Sweetwater Downs’ top conditioner Josh Taylor may have the “now” horse in the field with Cowboy Cadilac (9-2 morning line). The son of Flying Cowboy 123 has posted two straight victories, including a three-length tally in his trial (0:17.441.1, 96 speed index). Taylor’s stable has been winning at incredible rate, posting seven wins, four seconds and a third in 15 starts. Jockey Juan Pulido has teamed up with Taylor to win five races at the meeting and will return in the saddle for Saturday’s final. They will break from post 8.

On Sunday, older horses are in the spotlight with the $159,850 Sweetwater Downs Quarter Horse Derby (three-year-olds) and the $101,450 Sweetwater Downs Quarter Horse Maturity. Both events will be contested at 400 yards and will be run as races eight and six respectively. A nine-race card will get underway at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Racing returns this weekend with a seven-race Friday card starting at 4 p.m., featuring a special happy hour (4-5 pm.) and 1-2-3 Friday concession specials ($1 popcorn, $2 soft drinks and $3 hot dogs).

Races continue through Sept. 28. Gates open at noon on Saturdays and Sundays, with the first race starting at 1 p.m. Races will also be held on Fridays: Sept. 5 and 12, with a post time of 4 p.m. Fridays will feature a happy hour from 4-5 p.m. 

For those who can’t attend the live races in person, Wyoming Horse Racing offers betting at any of the ten Horse Palace locations, including sites in Casper, Cheyenne, Evanston, Gillette, Green River, Rock Springs and Sheridan. 

Sweetwater Downs is located within the Sweetwater Events Complex at 3320 Yellowstone Road in Rock Springs. 

Wyoming Horse Racing, LLC is a proud sponsor of Sweetwater Downs races and operates ten Horse Palace locations throughout the state. The company led the effort to legalize Historical Horse Racing (HHR) terminals in Wyoming, which has significantly grown Wyoming’s horse industry and makes meaningful contributions to the state’s tax revenues. The company is committed to responsible stewardship and investment in the hospitality and agri-business sectors that constitute the horse racing industry in Wyoming.

The racing schedule, race day live streams and other live racing information can be found at: horsepalace.win/live-racing.

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©Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse

Elizabeth Logan, an inspirational figure in the American Quarter Horse industry, has passed away at the age of 99. She touched the lives of so many through her lifelong dedication to breeding, showing, and racing horses at Logan Ranch in Oklahoma. Alongside her late husband, George Logan, she helped develop a successful program that produced World Champion Palaminos, and they branched out to Quarter Horses as well. Elizabeth and her husband had shown horses for years, and Elizabeth showed until the age of 88.  Although she did not become deeply involved with horses until the mid-1990s, Logan quickly found success in the show ring before transitioning into Quarter Horse racing later in life.

When she decided to quit showing, her veterinarian, Dr. Jay Ross, suggested that she try her hand with race horses.  Dr. Ross introduced her to trainer Dee Keener, and the rest was history. Her first runner was DTL Batter Up, a Paint colt that earned nearly $60,000 on the track.  She bought a new car and put on a license tag that read ‘Batter Up’. Her racing stable achieved national prominence with major wins from standout runners such as EC Revenge, winner of the Oklahoma Futurity-G2 in 2019; Dreamsville’s, winner the Remington Park Oklahoma Bred Derby-G2 in 2022; and Tres Crystals, winner of the Oklahoma Futurity-G2 and the Heritage Place Futurity-G1 in 2022, the only horse to win both the Oklahoma and the Heritage Futurities in the same year.  Logan won the Oklahoma Futurity twice, captured the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby, and continued competing at the sport’s highest levels well into her late 90s. Beyond racing, she and her husband established a lasting legacy through philanthropy, donating their ranch to Oklahoma State University for agricultural research and creating scholarships for veterinary students.

Nothing excited her more than watching her horses run.  On Friday night, May 8, Dr. Ross visited her in the hospital so she could watch her horse, Valiant Sass, win the 2nd trial of the night in the Heritage Place Futurity trials.  That definitely put a smile on her face.  Her remarkable story reflects perseverance, passion, and a lifelong commitment to the Quarter Horse industry. She will be greatly missed.

By Speedhorse & Wendy Keener

ohrc-logo-full-color
©OHRC

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. May 11, 2026 

The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission (“OHRC”), acting through the Board of Stewards at Remington Park, continues to enforce three Emergency Protective Orders issued on April 22, 2026, after evidence, video, and veterinary opinions documented an abnormal and materially elevated pattern of severe post-race distress among affected horses, including repeated incidents in which horses could not safely leave the track under their own power and required transport from the racing surface.

These orders are temporary, protective, and focused on one priority: horse welfare. The affected horses remain on the Stewards’ List and, where applicable, the Veterinarian’s List while they undergo individualized veterinary review, testing, records review, and monitored exercise protocols before any return to competition may be considered.

In the Alcala matter, the Oklahoma County District Court preserved the Emergency Protective Order, allowed entries to be accepted, and made clear that no horse may compete unless and until OHRC veterinarians and the Board of Stewards are satisfied that permitting the horse to run will not endanger equine welfare or compromise the integrity of racing. In the Garcia matter, materially identical agreed terms were reached. In the Vane matter, the Emergency Protective Order entered by the Board of Stewards was ordered to remain in place and Mr. Vane’s Temporary Restraining Order was dismissed. Accordingly those horses likewise remain subject to the Commission’s safety process.

“The protection of the horse comes first,” said Amanda English, Interim Executive Director of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission. “When the facts show a serious threat to equine welfare, the Commission will act. No horse will race until the safety review is complete and the horse is cleared through our process.”

OHRC’s removal protocol requires a separate application for each horse, full disclosure of relevant records, independent veterinary review, any necessary diagnostic testing, required sampling, and an observed work with post-work veterinary assessment. No horse is returned to eligibility based on assurances alone.

The Commission’s authority to take these actions is grounded in the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act and the Rules of Racing, which authorize OHRC and the Board of Stewards to protect horse welfare, determine eligibility, require examination and testing, and act when racing integrity is at risk.

OHRC will continue to evaluate each horse individually and will permit no horse to compete unless and until the Commission is satisfied, in writing, that the horse may safely and humanely race.

from OHRC

JESS SINFUL - Maiden Stakes Trial - 05-11-26 - R11 - Horseshoe Indiana - Finish 01
©Coady Media

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Monday, May 11, 2026) – The first set of trials were held Monday, May 11 featuring four to establish the final field for the $30,000 Maiden Stakes Final set for the first all Quarter Horse day of the year Saturday, May 30 at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Perrys Secret Gold and Eduardo Diaz earned top billing on the list of trial times with their win in the second of four trials in a time of :17.958.

Perrys Secret Gold was one of two winners in the trials for trainer Tim Eggleston and Jockey Eduardo Diaz, last year’s leading Quarter Horse trainer and jockey, respectively. Other trial winners on the day included Run Don’t Walk and Daniel Martinez, Jess Sinful, also ridden by Daniel Martinez, and Mi Blood Token, ridden by Eduardo Diaz.

Perrys Secret Gold was in contention the entire 350 yards for the lead, getting the advantage by a neck at the wire over stablemate Keep Her Off Tequila, ridden by Rolando Pina. Coyote Kiss and Daniel Martinez finished third.

Perrys Secret Gold is a four-year-old son of Racy Secret. The Indiana sired gelding is owned by Roger Cyrulik and was making his second start of 2026 and his fifth overall to break his maiden. 

The entire field for the Maiden Stakes Final, with jockey and time, includes: Perrys Secret Gold (Eduardo Diaz, 17.958); Run Don’t Walk (Daniel Martinez, 17.99); Keep Her Off Tequila (Rolando Pina, :17.99); Fav Streakin Cartel (Diego Villamil Bocanegra, :17.999); Coyote Kiss (Daniel Martinez, :18.03); Jess Sinful (Daniel Martinez, :18.069); Maleficent Dash (Erik Esqueda, :18.095); Jess A Favorite (Edgar Diaz, :18.114); Mi Blood Token (Eduardo Diaz, :18.206); and FA Lillys Of Wins (Erik Esqueda, :18.237). Trainers Tim Eggleston (Perrys Secret Gold, Keep Her off Tequila, Mi Blood Token) and Tony Cunningham (Run Don’t Walk, Coyote Kiss, Jess Sinful) have each qualified three for the finals while Trainer Caesar Esqueda will send two to the final (Maleficent Dash, FA Lillys of Wins).

The Maiden Stakes Final will join the Harley Greene Derby Final and the Horseshoe Indianapolis QHRAI Derby Trials Saturday, May 30 for the first all-Quarter Horse racing day. First post is 10:45 a.m.

The 24th season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse extends through Friday, November 13. For more information on racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find details on social media @HSIndyRacing.

By  Tammy Knox

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