Trainer Bret Calhoun wins two stakes with Victory for Vets and Too Much Kiki
HOUSTON, TX – Sam Houston Race Park saluted accredited Texas-breds Saturday, March 22 with seven Texas Champions Day stakes. It was an exceptional renewal of the annual racing event with many compelling story lines. Several undisputed favorites did not disappoint and there were plenty of impressive performances from first-time stakes winners. From the $83,000 Spirit of Texas to the final stakes on the card, the $84,000 Richard King Stakes, were thrills for each of the connections as well as racing fans in Houston enjoying a sunny breezy afternoon.
Too Much Action Defends His Title in $83,000 Spirit of Texas Stakes
A hot early pace set up perfectly for post-time favorite Too Much Action in the $83,000 Spirit of Texas, the first of seven stakes on the Texas Champions Day card. The 6-year-old gelding earned his first win of the year and ninth career win from 25 starts.
Too Much Action ($2.80) cruised home in 1:11.06 in the 6-furlong stake, defeating runner-up Turn Northby nearly four lengths. Too Much Action prepped for Saturday’s win with a third-place finish in the David E. Hooper Stakes last month, his first start of the year.
J.R. Caldwell trains for owners Jeff Scott, Penny Scott, Bradley Thoroughbreds LLC, Danielle Ferguson and Parker Ferguson.
“I want to thank my owners who have given me the opportunity with this horse and been so supportive,” said Caldwell. “We thought we had the best sprinter, but he came back a little short in his prep race so you never know. Rene did a smart job, taking him back and letting him cruise and then drawing off at the end.”
“I wanted to see who would to go the lead,” said jockey Rene Diaz of the race set-up. “If nobody else wanted to, I would take the initiative, but I was lucky that two went to the front and I could sit off the pace.”
The son of Too Much Bling also won the Spirit of Texas in 2023. In 2024, he won the David E. Hooper Stakes before finishing second in the one-mile Star of Texas Stakes behind Mr Money Bags and winning a pair of stakes at Gillespie.
Too Much Action was bred by Mike G. Rutherford by Too Much Bling, out of the Candy Ride mare Quatre Rose. His lifetime earnings now total $378,046.
Turn North was second under jockey Deshawn Parker and trainer Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez. The 4-year-old Classic Empire gelding is a homebred for Russell Welch. Turn North has finished in the money in 10 of his 14 career starts, including three wins, with earnings of $134,628.Mister Monte Carlofinished third, followed by Bling Mountain, Unbridled Bling, Sunday Bling and The Devil’s Bet.
TTA Champion 3-Year-Old Colt Victory for Vets Returns to Win $82,000 Star of Texas Stakes, presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance
In the second stake on Texas Champions Day, Victory for Vets led gate to wire to win the $82,000 Star of Texas Stakes, presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
The Tapiture colt capitalized on a pedestrian pace and finished the one-mile stake in 1:38.96 on the main track, six lengths clear of longshot Proven Advocate in second place.
Victory for Vets ($5.00) was 5-2 on the morning line but went off as the 3-2 favorite under jockey Iram Diego. Bret Calhoun trains the 4-year-old colt.
“We have always thought very highly of this horse and felt he was getting better all the time,” said Calhoun. “Iram picked up the mount as Jose Alvarez was injured on Friday night and he did a very good job. The fractions were very soft and Iram got him to relax and finish well.”
Victory for Vets is owned by Vietnam veteran James Stodola, who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross medal and names each of his Texas Thoroughbreds for his service to our country.
Victory for Vets was recently named 2024 Texas Thoroughbred Association Champion 3-Year-old Colt/ Gelding and won the 2024 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby. He was bred by AsmussenEquine.com, out of Diamondinthestream, by Smart Strike.
With his Star of Texas win, Victory for Vets is six for 15 lifetime with earnings of $276,885.
Proven Advocate completed the exacta at 29-1. The 4-year-old Not This Time gelding made his second stakes appearance after competing in the Houston Turf Stakes last month.
Isaiah Wiseman was in the irons for trainer Jayde Gelner and owner Rene Lavergne.
Star of Texas defending champion Gold Pilot, with Lindey Wade up, finished a neck behind in third place for trainer Bret Calhoun and owners Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch.
Morning-line favorite Dust Em was fourth in his fourth start in the Star of Texas, followed by Team Gormley, Champagne Stopper and Son of a Bling.
Blood Orange Upsets $83,000 San Jacinto Turf Stakes
In the $83,000 San Jacinto Turf Stakes, Blood Orange sprung the upset in the one and one sixteenth mile stake for fillies and mares aged four-years-old and up.
Blood Orange ($15.20) pulled ahead in the stretch while 18-1 longshot Take My Picture split horses to pull alongside; the pair dueled to the wire as Blood Orange finished first by a neck and survived a two-horse stewards’ inquiry. The duo cleared the rest of the field by over five lengths in 1:45.09.
Isaiah Wiseman had the riding call for trainer Tina Hurley.
“It was a very game effort by both fillies; they both wanted to win, both are talented,” said Wiseman, who chose to take the mount on Blood Orange instead of Take My Picture.
“I was ecstatic!” said Hurley. “It’s been a long time coming because she absolutely hates the dirt. I made the mistake of running her on the main track when the last race came off the turf, and I won’t do that again. Isaiah rode her beautifully and I’m very proud of her.”
Hurley added that she plans to run Blood Orange in a stake at Lone Star Park on opening weekend and return to the East Coast, probably Monmouth Park, over the summer.
Blood Orange has earned her elusive first stakes win after competing in multiple stakes in her career at Sam Houston, Lone Star and Monmouth Park.
The 6-year-old mare is owned and bred by Century Acres Farm, by Paynter and out of Citrus Pad, by Lemon Drop Kid. She has four wins from 21 starts and $149,138 in earnings.
Take My Picture was ridden by Deshawn Parker for trainer Jayde Gelner and owners Eric Archer and Hugh Moore. Eric Moreau-Sipiere and Randi Moreau-Sipiere bred the 4-year-old filly by Demarchelier, out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Free N Clear. This was the second stakes start for Take My Picture, who is three for 13 with $93,901 earned to date.
Sky Rocker was third, followed by Gracie’s Kitten,Blue Heavenly, No Mas Tequila, post-time favorite Imaluckycharm, and Bluebonnet Girl.
Too Much Kiki Impresses in the $85,000 Yellow Rose Stakes
2024 TTA Horse of the Year Too Much Kiki did not disappoint in the $85,000 Yellow Rose Stakes.
The post-time favorite was pinched at the start and sat near the back of the pack early. Coming out of the turn, she swallowed up ground as jockey Lindey Wade pointed her down the center of the track to win by five and a half lengths.
Too Much Kiki ($4.40) is trained by Bret Calhoun, who was reached at Fair Grounds Saturday after winning the Crescent City Derby with Allied Racing Stable LLC’s Sippin Gin.
“She needed the break after last year, and I believed she was still capable of winning big races,” said Calhoun. “Her prep for this was very good, but she really impressed me today overcoming that troubled start. She had to go wide and then ran huge!”
Lindey Wade picked up the mount in place of Stewart Elliott.
“This filly is all class,” said Wade. “We got bothered at the start, but she recovered quickly, and I knew I was just biding my time to find a spot. She’s run by me so many times that I know what kind of kick she has. I felt it today.”
Owner Landon Jordan of Mansfield Racing bought Too Much Kiki for $100,000 at the 2022 TTA Yearling Sale and named her after his daughter, Kiki.
“It was awesome watching her run today,” said Mansfield. “Yeah, obviously we have had a great return on our investment, but I have to thank Josh Stevens for picking her at the sale and everything that Bret Calhoun has done all along.”
Too Much Kiki is a horse for the Sam Houston course: she has won five of her six starts at the Houston oval and finished second in her lone defeat. In her career, she is seven for 12 with $327,969 earned.
The 4-year-old filly was bred by Danele Dunham, by Too Much Bling and out of the Action This Day mare Soft Music.
The final time for the six furlong stake on the main track was 1:11.38.
A pair of longshots made the trifecta interesting as Izatiz finished second at 21-1 and Honest was third at 28-1.
Izatiz, a five-year-old mare by My Golden Song, was second in last year’s running of the Yellow Rose. Floyd Wethey, Jr. had the riding call for trainer Matt Hebert and owner/breeder Billy Clevenger. The multiple stakes winner has earned $225,341 in 24 lifetime starts.
Honest earned her first finish in the money in a stakes race for trainer Tina Hurley and jockey Rodolfo Guerra. Century Acres Farm bred and own the 4-year-old Paynter filly, out of Rockintotherhythm, by Broad Brush.
Reclusive, City Ghost, Blushing Belle, Uptownblingithome, Successfulpath, Texas Red Bel and Peek Factor rounded out the field.
Regal Terka Defeats Stablemate Sunlit Song in the $84,000 Richard King Turf Stakes
In the last race on the Texas Champions Day card, Regal Terka defeated stablemate Sunlit Song in the $84,000 Richard King Turf Stakes.
Regal Terka ($20.80) enjoyed a patient ride from DeShawn Parker before taking the lead in the stretch to win by nearly three lengths. He finished the one and one-eighth miles stake on the turf in 1:52.01.
“With Mindy, you always know you have a shot when you’re riding a horse on the turf,” said Parker. “When she gives me an opportunity, I’m going to try hard for her. I saw a little hole and went for it, and he exploded!”
Mindy Willis trains Regal Terka for owner and breeder John Wilke.
“Mindy has done a great job with this horse, “Wilke said. “I expected him to do well, but didn’t think he would win. I thought Sunlit had it; but my horse gave his all and that’s all you could ask of him.”
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do since he stepped on the track,” stated Willis. “Today what he gave us was awesomeness!”
The Richard King was Regal Terka’s stakes debut. The 4-year-old Eagle gelding is five for 12 with $147,577 earned.
Post-time favorite Sunlit Song suffered a tough trip, including checking just before the stretch, but the 2023 TTA Horse of the Year still made a gallant effort to move from fifth to second place deep in the stretch.
Willis was emotional when she spoke about the runner finish of her superstar, Sunlit Song, who rallied to complete the exacta.
“He’s gotten into trouble every time except for the first time he ran,” she added. “He didn’t have a clean trip again today, so I’m just going to leave it at that. I am happy for my other horse.”
Sunlit Song has 19 wins and earnings of $800,039 in his illustrious career. The 10-year-old gelding has run in five editions of the Richard King and won twice, in 2023 and 2021. The multiple stakes winner has finished in the money in 39 of his 48 starts.
Sunlit Song is owned by Carolyn Barnett and Becky Harding; Barnett also bred the gelding by My Golden Song and out of Fly So True, by Early Flyer.
Supersecretweapon was third, followed by Silence d’Oro, Rarotonga, Bobby Brinkley, Mor Victoryand Iberian Runner.
Texas Thoroughbred Association News
The Texas Thoroughbred Association has announced that the 2025 Texas Summer Yearling Sale will be held Tuesday, August 26, at 10 a.m. at Lone Star Park. A limited mixed session will follow the yearling session.
“We’ve already had people asking about the yearling sale, so we are pleased to get the date set and start preparing for another successful auction,” said Sales Director Foster Bridewell. “The yearling sale has produced some tremendous racehorses over the years, including the latest example in Coal Battle.”
A $70,000 graduate of the 2023 yearling sale, Coal Battle is already a millionaire and currently tops the Road to the Kentucky Derby point standings with 70 after taking the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) last month at Oaklawn Park. The son of Louisiana stallion Coal Front was purchased by Power Racing from the consignment of Red River Farms.
The consignment deadline for the yearling sale is June 24, and forms are now available online. Next up on the sale calendar at Lone Star Park is the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale on April 2. The breeze show for that sale will be held March 31. Five supplements were recently added for the 2-year-old sale. For more information, go to www.ttasales.com.
Also, The Texas Thoroughbred Association sent a press release on the renaming of the sales pavilion at Lone Star Park to honor the retiring of long-time executive director, Mary Ruyle.
“There is not enough we can do to show Mary how much the Texas thoroughbred industry appreciates her years of hard work and dedication,” said Phil Adams, the TTA board member who coordinated the renaming effort.
Mary Ruyle has a distinguished history with the Texas Thoroughbred Association. She began as a bookkeeper in 1988 and subsequently worked as membership coordinator, accreditation manager and office manager before becoming executive director. Her 36 years at the TTA have made her the longest-tenured employee in the history of the association.