December 11-14 Stakes Recap

Following is a recap of all official American Quarter Horse stakes and trials for the week of December 11-14. 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.

Turf Paradise
Four trials for the $70,000-estimated AQRA Turf Paradise Open Derby were held Wednesday at the Phoenix track, and Cesar Dabdoub’s homebred CD Favorite Lady posted the fastest qualifying time in the third heat. Ridden by Cerapio Figueroa for trainer Havid Canez, the California-bred filly by Favorite Cartel prevailed by a nose over Sweet Fire Wes with a 400-yard clocking of :19.725 for a 101 speed index.

This was the fourth win in 14 career starts for CD Favorite Lady, who will be seeking her second career stakes win in the final after taking the $40,000 Downs Fall Distaff Stakes on the undercard of the AQHA Racing Challenge Championships on October 18 at The Downs at Albuquerque. She has banked $56,053 in her 14 career starts.

Runner-up Sweet Fire Wes earned the second-fastest qualifying time with Gabriel Medrano up for trainer Adolfo Armendariz Celaya and breeder/owner Fernando Canales. Sweet Fire Wes, an Arizona-bred daughter of Panama Wes, is a two-time stakes winner at Turf Paradise with victories in this year’s AQRA Presidents Open Spring Derby and last year’s AQRA Futurity. 

The full list of qualifiers for the December 31 final is as follows: CD Favorite Lady (:19.725), Sweet Fire Wes (:19.731), Paradise Pete (:19.746), Imm A Heart On Fire (:19.766), Fedra (:19.801), Four Sweet Kid (:19.808), Fly Girl 123 (:19.844), Nine One Won (:19.848), Set The Edge (:19.856) and Jess A Dash Of Class (:19.922).

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHA Racing on X and on Instagram, "like" Q-Racing on Facebook, and visit www.aqha.com/racing.