A 12-race card including five stakes is on the agenda Saturday, February 14 at Sam Houston Race Park for Texas Preview Day with a first post time of 1:00 PM CST. There are five stakes races on the program with three on the main track and two on the Connally turf course.
Each of these five stakes races will give participants an opportunity in advance of Texas Champions Day on Saturday, March 21. It remains one of the biggest days of racing during the thoroughbred stand at Sam Houston Race Park and a staple on the stakes schedule.
“We appreciate the opportunity to showcase our Texas-breds at Sam Houston Race Park,” said Vice President and General Manager Bryan Pettigrew. “The strength of the fields shows that the talent level is very high and we will see plenty of familiar faces throughout the card.”
The newly renamed Sunlit Song Turf, which was named in honor of the recently retired decorated Texas-bred drew a field of 11 and will be the final race on the card. With Sunlit Song no longer participating, it’ll be another pair of runners from the barn of his trainer, Mindy Willis, that will garner significant support in the wagering. The winner of the 2025 Richard King Turf Stakes, Regal Terka, has drawn post 11 and will have Deshawn Parker in the irons. He has been installed at 6-1 on the morning line and carries the colors of John W. Wilke.
Willis will also saddle Colonel Yorke, a recent runner-up at Sam Houston in his seasonal debut, who is also a stakes winner having taken the Oklahoma Stallion at Remington last August. He is 9/2 on the morning line and will have Stewart Elliott in the irons for John Rigney and Steve Bragg. The 7/2 favorite in the Sunlit Song Turf is Proven Advocate from the barn of Jayde Gelner. This barn had a banner week with 5 wins last weekend.
Victory for Vets is cross entered in the David E. Hooper and was made 4-1 on the morning line by virtue of his third place finish in the Texas Hall of Fame stakes in June of last year at Lone Star Park. He races for owner James Stodola and trainer Bret Calhoun.
JIM’S ORBIT, TWO ALTAZANO BRING CONTINUE TEXAS STALLION STAKES SERIES
A field of five colts and geldings will battle in the Jim’s Orbit, which will be the third race on the card. The heavy favorite will be Gee Racing’s High Cinco, who is bidding for a second stakes triumph of the meet. He took the My Dandy division of the Texas Stallion Stakes Series on opening weekend before checking in third in the Chariot Energy Groovy during the Houston Racing Festival. He was made a 2/5 favorite on the morning line for trainer Danny Pish and jockey Lane Luzzi.
His chief competition figures to be Lexi’s Comeback for trainer Jon Newbold and Highlander Training Center. That son of Competitive Edge was a stakes winner as a two year-old and has plenty of pace to use from the inside post position. He is 7/2 on the morning line and will be re-united with Isaiah Wiseman, who was aboard for his lone victory.
The Two Altazano has a competitive field of five and is the 5th race on the 12-race card. The 8/5 favorite is Gee Family Racing’s Harvey’s Finnish, who took the My Dandy division of the Clarence Scharbauer Texas Stallion Stakes Series on opening weekend of the meet. She enters off a disappointing 6th place finish in the Bara Lass. That loss can likely be attributed to the muddy racetrack, as she never hit top speed during the six furlong event. She will have regular rider Weston Hamilton back aboard for trainer Danny Pish.
Among the vanquished in the Bara Lass was runner-up Kiss My Dice, who is back in the Two Altazano for trainer JR Caldwell. She carries the colors of Indigo Racing and will have Rene Diaz in the irons. Her morning odds are 5/2.
MISS BLUEBONNET TURF FEATURES FIVE TEXAS-BRED STAKES WINNERS
Defending Miss Bluebonnet Turf champion Optimistic Cowgirl will face ten rivals in the 2026 edition. She won the race in 2025 when it was taken off the turf and moved to the main track and later won the Fiesta Mile at Lone Star Park when it was also taken off the turf. Her turf prowess is legitimate, though, as she is a four-time grass winner.
The morning line favorite is Too Much Kiki, the 2024 Texas Horse of the Year, who has won multiple main track stakes races. She would be making her turf debut in this affair, but trainer Bret Calhoun is monitoring the weather throughout the week before making final determinations on his stakes entrants. Too Much Kiki races for Mansfield Racing and Stewart Elliott has the mount.
Sky Rocker won her 2026 debut in fine fashion, taking an allowance race here in January from off the pace. She won her first stakes race at Lone Star Park last year in the Danny Shifflett Scholarship at seven and a half furlongs on the turf. She has ample early speed, but showed a new dimension when victorious last time out under Lane Luzzi. He has the mount once again for Star Bright Thoroughbreds.
Blood Orange and Imaluckycharm are both local stakes winners. The former won the San Jacinto here last year under Isaiah Wiseman for Tina Hurley and Century Acres Farm while the latter won this race in 2023. Floyd Wethey, Jr. has the call on Imaluckycharm for owner Carl Moore Management, LLC.
VICTORY FOR VETS HEADLINES DAVID E. HOOPER
The David E. Hooper was renamed in 2024 for the late former Executive Director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. The first Texas-bred stakes opportunity of the year for older males, it will be contested at seven furlongs on the main track.
The most decorated entrant is Victory for Vets, the winner of the 2024 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby as well as the 2025 Star of Texas. He won his seasonal debut in game fashion last time, digging in late to fend off Raise the Bar. That runner from the barn of Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen is back in this field. He’ll be ridden by Stewart Elliott for owner Douglas Scharbauer.
The 2024 Hooper winner, Too Much Action, returns in this year’s event and exits the prep race won by Victory for Vets. A three-time Sam Houston Race Park winner, Too Much Action added the Wayne Hanks Memorial last year at Lone Star Park after taking the Spirit of Texas earlier in the year. The seven year-old will have regular rider Rene Diaz aboard for owners Jeff and Penny Scott and Bradley Thoroughbreds.
Mikel W will make his second start off a layoff for trainer Carlos Padilla in his first foray into stakes company since last year’s David Vance at Remington Park. He has ample early speed and returns to Texas-bred competition in this spot. Iram Diego is aboard for owners Rodney Fleenor and Lynn Haverkamp.