September 23-25 Stakes Recap

Following is a recap of all official American Quarter Horse stakes and trials for the week of September 23-25. For recaps of most graded stakes and trials, Bank of America Racing Challenge stakes and trials, and most stakes worth $100,000 or more, see the individual recaps in the Racing News section. This page will be updated throughout the week.

Century Downs
Two official stakes were run at this track near Calgary, Alberta, on Sunday.

Third-fastest qualifier Pretty Sweet Jess extended her win streak to four races with her three-quarter length victory in Sunday's $76,801 Canada Cup Futurity (RG3).

Prepped by William Leech for owners Jerry Stojan and Kevin Lyons, Pretty Sweet Jess covered 400 yards in :19.762 while posting a 110 speed index and breaking the previous track record of :19.805 set by Machete in an Alberta Bred Derby (R) trial on September 8, 2018.  J.B. Botello rode the sorrel daughter of the Mr Jess Perry stallion One Sweet Jess.

Pretty Sweet Jess was bred in California by Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, and she was purchased as a yearling by Stojan for $17,000 at last year's Los Alamitos Equine Sale. The filly is out of Pretty Lethal, a winning 12-year-old First Down Dash mare. Her second dam, the Dean Miracle mare Lethal Delight, won the 2009 Shue Fly Stakes (RG2) at Sunland Park and ran second in the '08 Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

Pretty Sweet Jess' win streak includes a three-quarter length victory in the July 23, $42,514 John Deere Evergreen Park Juvenile Challenge Stakes at Grande Prairie, Alberta. All told, the filly has won four of six races and has banked $65,718.

Fastest qualifier Bitterroots Wagon finished fourth, 1 1/2 lengths behind Pretty Sweet Jess.

Also on Sunday, the same connections combined to win the 400-yard, $25,331 Canada Cup Derby (R) with Noble Rearing.

The fastest qualifier from two trials run on September 10, Noble Rearing defeated Northfork Boss by a half of a length in :19.826. The son of the Favorite Trick (TB) stallion Favorite Cartel earned a 109 speed index and $11,399 from his second lifetime stakes score.

Noble Rearing was purchased as a yearling by Stojan for $36,000 at the 2021 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. The brown colt was bred in California by Ed Allred, and he is out of Sweet TR, a stakes-winning 12-year-old daughter of the First Down Dash stallion TR Dasher.

Campaigned in Alberta and California, Noble Rearing has banked $68,467 from 10 outs, and his five wins include last year's Canada Cup Futurity (RG3).

Grants Pass Downs
Alberto Avila's Bee A Freight Train on Sunday set the fastest qualifying time to the October 9, $20,000-added Autumn Derby for 3-year-olds.

Bee A Freight Train won the second of two 400-yard trials by one length in :19.600. Jose Guerrero rode the sorrel son of Freighttrain B for trainer Mario Portillo.

Bee A Freight Train was bred in Utah by Darian Burt, and he was a $26,000 purchase at the 2021 Heritage Place Yearling Sale in Oklahoma City. The colt is out of N Bee C, a winning daughter of world champion Apollitical Jess. His second dam, the stakes-winning Dash Ta Fame mare Full Moon Dasher, is a half sister to '09 champion aged stallion First Moonflash.

Bee A Freight Train was winning for the eighth time in 14 races and increasing his bankroll to $79,514. The colt has won two stakes, including last year's John Deere Emerald Juvenile Challenge Stakes at Emerald Downs.

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.