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Handicapping Contests Continue; News from the Racing World

The Countdown to the Cup Handicapping Contest continues this Saturday. The races from Keeneland will be used for the contest. Entry deadline is first post at the Lexington, KY racetrack. The Lexus Raven Run (G2) has the largest purse on the card. Restricted to 3-year-old fillies and run at 7 furlongs, it will offer $250,000.

Canchari wins at Keeneland

Jockey Alex Canchari scored his first win in Kentucky after leaving the Canterbury meet in early September. The victory came on Sunday at Keeneland in the opening event of the day on a longshot. Read more about it here.

Last chance to qualify for Hawthorne Challenge Satellite

The final session of super satellite contest that qualify players to the Oct. 28 Hawthorne Challenge Satellite Handicapping Contest  will be held Thursday through Saturday. Entry is $10 per day. Information here.

Super satellites for the Horse Player World Series Satellite begin Oct. 26.

Canterbury Qs Win In Iowa

A Jordon Reed, winner of the Mystic Lake Northlands Futurity, won the $289,830 Valley Junction Futurity at Prairie Meadows for trainer Canterbury Park Hall of Fame trainer Ed Ross Hardy. The 2-year-old is owned by Kendrix Brothers and was ridden by Oscar Delgado. A Jordon Reed was the fastest qualifier to the futurity and on Saturday won by a length as the betting favorite, returning $4.80.

A Jordon Reed wins Valley Junction. Coady Photography

The Fiscal Cliff won the $345,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship, the final race of the Prairie Meadows quarter horse meet. The Fiscal Cliff won twice at Canterbury in 2017 and was voted Quarter Horse of the Meet.

The Fiscal Cliff wins BOA Challenge Championship. Photo: Coady Photography

More from AQHA publicity:

Bank of America Challenge Championships
The American Quarter Horse Association, October 17, 2017 – The 25th running of the Bank of America Challenge Championships took place at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, on October 14, and saw a hometown hero conquer the biggest event of the night.

Iowa-bred stallion The Fiscal Cliff romped to a three-quarter-length victory in the $330,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) for Iowa City, Iowa-based owner and breeder Tom Lepic.

This is the third time the championship event has been hosted at Prairie Meadows, and it featured horses from all over North America. The horses must earn invitations to the event by placings in regional race competition.

The Fiscal Cliff is a 4-year-old son of PYC Paint Your Wagon out of the Shazoom mare Signs Zoomer. He qualified for the race by winning the July 4 Bank of America Canterbury Championship Challenge. He cruised 440 yards in this race, over a sloppy track, to win in :21.297 for trainer Kasey Willis and jockey Benito Baca.

“Thank you so much, AQHA,” said Lepic after the race. “Thank you for being in Iowa, thank you so much for letting us run on our home turf.

“He’s going to California for the Champion of Champions (at Los Alamitos Race Course),” Lepic added. “To have an Iowa-bred do this, on his own turf in this kind of conditions, is unbelievable.”

Baca is the program’s year-end high-point jockey.

“It was a dream trip,” he said. “He stepped away and all I had to do was hold on the whole 440. He’s an awesome horse to ride.”

The Fiscal Cliff has earned $564,875 in his career, while winning 13 of 23 career starts.

Horses competing in the Challenge Championships underwent and passed hair testing.

“This is evidence that AQHA’s stance on integrity is effective, and a high percentage of horsemen wish to abide by our rules,” said AQHA Chief Racing Officer Janet VanBebber.

Other winners on Challenge Championship night include:

Dauns First Desirio, winner of the $180,000 Adequan® Derby Challenge Championship (G3) for owner Rogelio Carbajal Santos of Thornton, Colorado; trainer Julio Corral and jockey Cesar Gomez. The gelding by Desirio is out of the First Down Express mare First Daun Express, and was bred by Dan and Jolene Urschel.

Jess Paint Your Lips, winner of the $105,000 Boehringer Ingelheim Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) for owner and breeder Michael Pohl of Colorado Springs, Colorado; trainer Stacy Charette-Hill and jockey Jorge Torres. The 4-year-old mare is by Jess Louisiana Blue and out of the Corona Cartel mare Paint Your Lips.

Carris Cartel, winner of the $131,300 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) for owner and breeder Nancy Carrizales of Harlingen, Texas; and trainer Edelmiro Carrizales and jockey Santos Carrizales. The filly is by The Louisiana Cartel and out of the Strawfly Special mare Shesa Wicked Gypsy.

Zoomin Racer, winner of the $105,000 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship (G1) for owner and trainer Fernando Carrete of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and jockey Ricky Ramirez. The 4-year-old gelding was bred by AQHA Past President Jerry Windham and is by Jess Zoomin and out of the Runaway Winner mare Racing Winner.

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, “like” Q-Racing on Facebook and visit www.aqharacing.com.