August 13-17 Stakes Recap

Following is a recap of all official American Quarter Horse stakes and trials for the week of August 13-17. For recaps of most graded stakes, AQHA Racing Challenge stakes and trials, and most stakes with purses of $100,000 or more, see the individual recaps in the Racing News section. This page will be updated throughout the week.

Ajax Downs
Queen Charlotte, the 2024 Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario's Horse of the Year, made a successful return to racing at Ajax Downs on August 13 with a powerful victory in the $30,510 Princess Maturity for fillies and mares.

James Bogar's Ontario homebred, who had not raced since last October, was bet down to the 4 to 5 choice in the eight-horse field after the late scratch of previous favourite Had to Be Ivy. Breaking from post position 2 under jockey Brian Bell, Queen Charlotte was sharp from the start and dueled Sweet Kara early in the 400-yard dash. Queen Charlotte edged clear in the late stages and held off the late bids of stablemate and younger half-sister Relentless Betty and Jess a Deal to win by a length.

Queen Charlotte ran the distance in :20.308 for an 89 speed index and paid $3.80 to win. The 5-year-old is by One Fabulous Eagle from the 2011 Ajax Downs Horse of the Year Leanintoit by Tres Seis.

"We had a little luck on our side," said Bogar of Cameron, Ontario, "But it was great to see her come back in her first race and do well, and her sister also do well,"

Bell said Queen Charlotte had been training well at Bogar's farm this summer. "I expected a good effort from her. I just wasn't sure if she would be fit enough, but she was just awesome."

Queen Charlotte, who won the 2024 Princess Maturity and the Alex Picov Memorial Championship over the boys, has now won eight of 18 career starts and over $102,000.

Century Mile
RJs Boss on Friday night got up to capture the $34,010 (CAD) Alberta Stallion Stakes Derby (R). Ridden by Alexander Marti for trainer Buckey Stockwell, the gelded son of JD Wagon Boss prevailed by a head in a time of :17.152 to earn an 89 speed index at 330 yards. 

Bred by T. Copithorne and G. Wills, RJs Boss is owned by Glenn Wills. The Alberta-bred now has a record of 14-4-4-2 with earnings of $50,072. This marks his first stakes win, and he finished second in last year’s Alberta Stallion Stakes Futurity (R).

Surely Im Corona, a filly by Obsessed With Corona trained by Brant Laczo for breeder/owner Shirley Laczo, put in a game effort to finish second. Flash Me A Corona, also by Obsessed With Corona, took third as the 3-10 favorite and was coming off a win in the All Canadian Derby at Century Mile. 

In Saturday’s $57,555 (CAD) Alberta Stallion Stakes Futurity (R), the longest shot in the field prevailed as Cliff Whitelock’s Rocn On West scored at odds of 35-1. Daniel Garcia rode the Western Moonshine gelding for trainer Brant Laczo and clocked 330 yards in :17.419 for an 81 speed index against a 10 mph headwind. 

This marked the first win for Rocn On West, who finished fourth in his trial with the seventh-fastest qualifying time. He also finished fourth in his only other start, a maiden contest at Century Mile in July.     

Barry and Janice Sather’s One Tough Cerveza, by Cerveza Corona, took second. Fastest qualifier Hot Cerveza, also by Cerveza Corona, ran third for owner Jerry Stojan. 

Los Alamitos
P and J Racing Ltd’s homebred AJ Born Runnin won the $25,000 Florentine Handicap in convincing fashion on Saturday night at Los Alamitos and now looks ready to tackle the track’s biggest race for fillies and mares, the Grade 1, $100,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on Saturday, September 13.

“We hope to come back for the Millie Vessels,” owner Pam Williams said. “She’s a dream come true. She’s sound and has come close (to major stakes wins) many times, always by a little bit. We can’t say enough about the job that (trainer) Jaime Gomez has done with her.”

A 5-year-old gray mare by Apollitical Jess, AJ Born Runnin is now a three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos. In addition to her Florentine victory, she was a two-time stakes winner in 2024, winning the Denim N Diamonds Handicap followed by the Virginia Hyland Stakes. Her win in the Denim N Diamonds gave jockey Eduardo Nicasio his 100th Quarter Horse stakes win at Los Alamitos. Nicasio has piloted to her two other stakes wins as well.

“When the money is on the line, Nicasio is the man,” Gomez said. “He’s the best. He’s really good. He takes things very seriously in the morning and does a great job at night. This mare, she’s her own worst enemy in the gates. If she breaks be careful. She’s tough. She’s gotten better with age.”

AJ Born Runnin has now six of 25 starts and her earnings of $13,750 in this race take her career total to $262,438. Racing from post number four in this race, AJ Born Runnin covered the 350 yards in :17.554 to earn a 96 speed index. In addition to her trio of stakes wins, her other top efforts include a second-place finish in the Justanold Love Stakes and a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap earlier this season. 

Reliance Ranches’ Relentless Looker Z earned $5,625 for runner-up effort. The 3-year-old filly by Hes Relentless had previously won back-to-back starts at Los Alamitos during the spring before going to Oklahoma and then Ruidoso Downs. She had an excellent return bow at the Orange County oval, leading the early part of the Florentine before settling for second place. Justine Klaiber rode for trainer Albert Valles.

Deep Blue, Phoebes Baby Girl and Jessica Cruz completed the field. Jessica Cruz, the 2024 AQHA and PCQHRA champion aged mare, was making her first start since running in the Charger Bar. She reared just as the gate opened in this race and never had a chance to contend. She was third in last year’s Mildred Vessels.

Prairie Meadows
The $72,800 Iowa Stallion Futurity (R) on Saturday had two winners as Kwik Fast Prize and Rebas First Kiss hit the wire together for a dead heat. The two Iowa-bred fillies, who were both sired by the Kiss My Hocks stallion Kiss Me Anywhere, clocked 350 yards in :18.319 and each earned $22,932 for the win. 

Kwik Fast Prize is trained by Alex Wessels for owner Paul Tonderum and was ridden by Cristian Esqueda. Bred by Craig Kirby out of the stakes-winning Tac It Like A Man mare Fast Prize Tacita, Kwik Fast Prize was making just her second career start after finishing fourth in a Prairie Meadows maiden race in her debut. 

Rebas First Kiss, who was ridden by Armando Alvidrez for trainer Tony Dean Jones and breeders/owners Robert and Sandra Brown, was coming off a maiden win last time out at the Iowa track. She is out of the Teller Cartel mare Tellher To Fly, who took the 2012 edition of the Jim Bader Futurity (R) at Prairie Meadows. 

Vernon Hammes’ homebred TRS Just Like Dutton, by Just Amazing Jess, finished third. 

Odds-on favorite Imma Southern Bell, the winner of last year’s $78,144 Iowa Stallion Futurity (R), completed the double by winning Sunday’s $57,575 Iowa Stallion Derby (R). Angel Ramirez rode the Go To The Gravel filly for trainer Tony Jones, who co-owns and co-bred with Rick Neff. Imma Southern Bell clocked 400 yards in :20.455.

Now a winner of four of seven starts, the Iowa-bred has banked $86,045. She is out of the Grade 2-placed Southern Cartel mare Southernrunaway. 

Jones also saddled runner-up Jess Praising Him, a gelding by Mr Jesse owned by Jim Korbett. Kay Sage’s homebred by JB Royal Gravel, by the same sire as the winner, took third. Jones also trained JB Royal Gravel, a son Favorite Cartel out of the multiple graded stakes-winning First Down Dash mare One Sweet Dash.

Sweetwater Downs
Breeder, owner and trainer Uriel Dominguez on Sunday scored a big win with UD Cholula as the 4-year-old daughter of EC Jet One captured the $17,000 Isaws Sugar Bear Fillies and Mares Stakes at the Wyoming track. Cristian Reyes rode the Wyoming-bred to victory in a time of :17.173 to earn a 104 speed index at 350 yards. 

This was the first stakes win for UD Cholula, who has spent her entire career in her home state and now has a record of 20-5-4-1 with earnings of $49,649. She also earned redemption after finishing sixth in last year’s edition of the race as one of the betting favorites. 

J Lazy Six Racing’s Basking, who shipped in after running in the Miss Princess Handicap (G2) at Los Alamitos, finished second. Hemsley Ranch’s Rayshas Pink Cartel, the third-place finisher in the Cox Ranch Energy Downs 307 Racing Distaff Challenge in June, took third.

The stakes is named for Wyoming-bred Isaws Sugar Bear, a 1987 foal by Isaw Kirk who started her career at Sweetwater Downs and won 18 of 36 starts and multiple Grade 1 stakes at Los Alamitos. 

White Pine Racing
The Prize Ferarri continued to add to his impressive win total on Saturday at the Nevada track with a victory in the $17,000 Governor’s Stakes. The 7-year-old gelding picked up his 22nd career win and pushed his bankroll to $201,143. The Prize Ferarri is a perfect four-for-four at White Pine Racing in his career.

Ridden by Jose Antonio Figueroa for trainer Mark Hanson and owners RTM Stables LLC, Kevin Dunn and Bryon Goody, The Prize Ferarri won by a neck as the even-money favorite and sprinted 400 yards in :19.801 for a 97 speed index. Bred in Oklahoma by Weetona Stanley, the gelding by The Louisiana Cartel has raced in Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Montana, and he has compiled a record of 37-22-7-5.

Cowboy Bar Cartel, a Five Bar Cartel gelding who came in from Turf Paradise for trainer and owner Juvencio Canales, finished second. BV Mary Rose was third. 

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