October 29, 2009 - Trainer Eddie Willis looked on with a watchful eye as his filly Crystal Sola stood in the gate on a cool, breezy morning at Los Alamitos Race Course. The California-bred daughter of Walk Thru Fire is one of the top contenders in the $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) to be contested on Saturday evening.
Owned by Ed Melzer of Edmond, Oklahoma, she enters the race off a win in the Oklahoma Juvenile Challenge (G3) at Blue Ribbon Downs on September 26. With regular rider Jimmy Brooks aboard, Crystal Sola won four consecutive races at Oklahoma tracks Remington Park, Fair Meadows at Tulsa and Blue Ribbon Downs. She drew the far outside post for the 350-yard dash and Willis thinks she is poised for a big effort.
“She ran pretty fast in Oklahoma, breaking a 28-year track record at Fair Meadows” said Willis. “I think she’s one of the best I’ve had in a long time. She hasn’t made the money some of them have, but she’s a nice filly.
“I think they’re in trouble,” said Willis said of her competition. “She was perfect in the gates (on Wednesday). If we can keep her happy, she’ll be ready.”
Hoist Mission, from the barn of Blane Schvaneveldt, will break from post 7 as the 5-2 morning-line favorite under rider Zacharie Kelsey. The Utah-bred qualified for the John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship with a second in the Northwest Juvenile Challenge (G3) at Wyoming Downs on July 19. He comes into the final off a win in the Autumn Handicap at Los Alamitos three weeks ago.
“This horse is getting better all the time,” Schvaneveldt said of Hoist Mission, who is owned by Michael W. Isom of Brigham City, Utah. “He had some minor shin problems early on, but we are over that and he’s training very well.”
Schvaneveldt won the inaugural Juvenile Challenge in 1993 with First Gray Dawn and added victories in 2001 and 2003 with Ronnie Jace and Willie Works.
The $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship (G2) will be run as the seventh race on the October 31 card. The field in post position order, with jockeys and morning-line odds: Corona Street (Santiago Mendez, 4-1); Pauls Gray Dream (Cody Jensen, 30-1); Miss Eye Stocks (Alex Bautista, 9-2); Cosabella (Eddie Garcia, 20-1); Regal Rockn (Vince Guerra, 4-1); De Elegant Dream (Enrique Tavarez, 30-1); Hoist Mission (Zacharie Kelsey, 5-2); Atwinkleinhereyes (Oscar Rincon, 30-1); Pacifico Breeze (Ramon Sanchez, 15-1); and Crystal Sola (Jimmy Dean Brooks, 3-1).
The Bank of America Racing Challenge began in 1993 and since that time has distributed more than $52 million to breeders and owners of racing American Quarter Horses. 2009 marks the 17th year of the program with 71 regional, championship and undercard races. There is $5 million in total purses and awards for 2009, thanks to corporate partners, host tracks, horsemen and the Bank of America Racing Challenge Purse Fund.
The Bank of America Racing Challenge was created to increase racing opportunities for older racing American Quarter Horses, but the benefit of nominating is often seen in the sale ring where Challenge-enrolled horses have historically brought more money. The Bank of America Racing Challenge is the richest and most successful program in American Quarter Horse racing today – a championship series developed for the “World’s Fastest Horse.”
The Bank of America Racing Challenge will culminate with the six Challenge Championship races and six undercard Challenge stakes races on Saturday, October 31, at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California. To learn more about the Bank of America Racing Challenge, visit racing.aqha.com/racing/challenge/index.aspx.
By Martha Claussen