West Texas Derby Qualifiers
West Texas Derby Qualifiers
Fastest qualifier Daou won the second of five West Texas Derby trials at Sunland Park. PHOTO: Coady Media
February 9, 2025 | Racing , Racing | Racing , Racing
Making the first start of his sophomore season, Daou on Saturday set the fastest qualifying time to the March 1, $158,060 West Texas Derby (G3) at Sunland Park.
Daou won the second of five 400-yard trials by a half of a length in :19.135 under jockey Christian Cardenas. Fred Danley prepped the multiple stakes placed son of champion FDD Dynasty for owners J & SM Inc.
Daou was bred in New Mexico by Mac and Janis Murray's MJ Farms, and he was a $270,000 purchase at the 2022 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale. The bay gelding is out of Donelli, a homebred graded stakes winning daughter of Big Daddy Cartel and the winning Tres Seis mare Tres Of Alice. His third dam, the homebred First Down Dash mare Alice K White, was the sport's champion 3-year-old filly in '09.
Daou was winning for the second time in nine outs and increasing his earnings to $68,774.
Click here for a complete list of qualifiers.
AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHA Racing on Twitter, "like" Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.