Leann Burns’ homebred Catchn Southern Rays unleashed an impressive display of speed in the first of two trials on Thursday for the $48,807 Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge at the Iowa track. The Oklahoma-bred filly by Apollitical Jess drew clear to a 1 ½-length win in a time of :19.738 for a 94 speed index at 400 yards. 

Sent off as the 1-5 favorite with Cristian Esqueda up for trainer Stacy Charette-Hill, Catchn Southern Rays came into the race off a seventh-place finish in the $300,900 Heritage Place Oaks (G2) at Remington Park. As a 2-year-old, she won the $536,151 Black Gold Fillies Futurity (RG3) at Will Rogers Downs and finished second in the $100,000 Heritage Place Juvenile Stakes. She has banked $289,008 with five wins from 12 starts.

The second heat went to Debra Gotovac’s homebred Rockin The Train, who stopped the timer at :20.082 with Alejandro Medina in the irons for conditioner Bradley Bolen. The gelding by BP Wagon Train won last year’s $72,182 John Deere Prairie Meadows Juvenile Challenge. 

The complete field for the August 17 final is as follows: Catchn Southern Rays (:19.738), The Criminal (:20.002), Rockin The Train (:20.082), Flashin Dynamite (:20.190), Apollitical King (:20.208), Braven (:20.257), Fancys Prize Corona (:20.262), KVN Good One (:20.282), A Sweet Arthur (:20.356) and Party On The Moon (:20.580). 

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