STOLIS WINNER IS FASTEST QUALIFIER TO TEXAS CLASSIC FUTURITY

November 16, 2008 -- Jerry Windham's Stolis Winner, a homebred gelding by champion Stoli, ran his win streak to seven with a 1 1/2-length victory in the seventh of nine Texas Classic Futurity (G1) trials at Lone Star Park on Saturday.

Saddled by Heath Taylor and ridden by reigning AQHA champion jockey G.R. Carter Jr., Stolis Winner covered 400 yards in :19.622, recording a 101 speed index and the fastest qualifying time to the November 29 Texas Classic final.

With a purse of $1.15 million, the Texas Classic Futurity is one of seven American Quarter Horse races with a purse exceeding $1 million.

Stolis Winner's victory was his eighth in nine races, and it boosted his earnings to $1,791,567. The gelding currently stands eighth on the sport's all-time earnings list.

Stolis Winner overcame a delay in the start of his trial, as Lightning Lass got loose behind the gate before the start. After unloading and reloading, Stolis Winner broke sharply and scored the win while making his first start since September 1, when he won the $1.9-million All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs.

"I was real proud of the starter letting him back out instead of making him stand there the whole time while they caught that other horse back there," said Carter. "He went back in and was real focused. When you have a horse like this, it makes the jockey's real easy."

Click here for a complete list of qualifiers.