$75,000 Jim’s Orbit and $75,000 Two Altazano are Part of the Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes Series (TSSS)
HOUSTON, TX- Texas-bred Thoroughbreds will take center stage this Saturday when Sam Houston Race Park presents Texas Preview Day. The eight-race card begins at 1:00 pm (CT) with 3-year-olds competing in the $75,000 Jim’s Orbit and $75,000 Two Altazano. Racing fans will be able to see these talented runners in action on Saturday and one more opportunity for stakes glory on Texas Champions Day, which will be held at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, March 22.
Stakes Winners Ring Seeker and Tizabling Return in the $75,000 Jim’s Orbit
Colts and geldings will kick off the stakes portion of the Texas Preview Day card with 3-year-olds entered in the $75,000 Jim’s Orbit. The six-furlong event will run as the fourth race on the program. Several of the entrants have met this season in either the My Dandy Stakes on January 4 or the Gexa Groovy Stakes on January 25.
William S. Farish’s Ring Seeker returns in pursuit of his fourth career stakes victory. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the son of top Texas stallion Too Much Bling, Ring Seeker captured both the Texas Stallion Stakes -Staunch Avenger Division and Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity last summer at Lone Star Park. He won the My Dandy here on opening weekend, before finishing third to Tizabling at Sam Houston Race Park last month in the $75,000 Gexa Groovy Stakes. Stewart Elliott will guide the high earner in the field ($213,629), who was named Texas Thoroughbred Champion 3-Year-Old earlier this year. It was recently announced that Too Much Bling will be inducted into the Texas Racing Hall of Fame this October 4 at Lone Star Park.
Tizabling broke his maiden and notched his first career stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on January 25 in $75,000 Gexa Groovy Stakes. The Too Much Bling colt, whose career started with a pair of maiden races at Woodbine, ran third in the My Dandy on opening weekend, but ran a greatly improved race under jockey David Cabrera to capture the Groovy. Billy Clevenger bred Tizabling who is trained by Matt Hebert.
“The sharp break made the difference,” said Hebert, of Tizabling’s victory in the Gexa Groovy. “Billy and I felt that was all that Tizablingneeded. He took a big step forward as a racehorse.”
Former Sam Houston Race Park leading rider Cabrera has the return call from the far outside post at odds of 5-2.
Making his third stakes appearance this season is Mikel W, a Bradestergelding, bred by Lynn Haverkamp, who also co-owns with Rodney Fleenor. Carlos Padilla will give a leg up to jockey Iram Diego, who rode Mikel W to runner-up placings in both the My Dandy (at 17-1) and an improved effort in the Gexa Groovy Stakes.
Austin Gustafson, trainer of Hezakoolcat, last year’s Jim’s Orbit winner, owns and trains Berry Mischievous. Sired by Tiz Mischief, he ran third in his debut here on February 1 and will be ridden by Freddy Manrrique.
Colleen Davidson’s Dr. Skyscaper has made two starts this season at Sam Houston Race Park, breaking his maiden here on January 24 and will step up to the stakes level under rider Alfredo Triana, Jr. M Brent Davidson trains the Sky Flight gelding.
The Jim’s Orbit is part of Texas Thoroughbred Association’s Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Texas Stallion Stakes Series (TSSS), a set of races for progeny of nominated Accredited Texas stallions. In 2005, the Texas Thoroughbred Association named the colts and gelding division of the Texas Stallion Stakes for Jim’s Orbit, who won the Grade 2 Ohio Derby prior to competing in the 1988 Kentucky Derby.
Blingster In Pursuit of her Second Stakes Win of the Meet in the $75,000 Two Altazano
The $75,000 Two Altazano, will run as race six, with seven Texas-sired 3 year-old fillies competing six furlongs on the main track.
Blingster, owned by Landon Jordan of Mansfield Racing and trained Bret Calhoun, returns off a victory in the $75,000 Darby’s Daughter division of the Texas Stallion Stakes Series on opening weekend at Sam Houston Race Park. A daughter of Bradestar out of the Proud Citizen mare Splendored. Blingster was bred in Texas by Haynes Stables, LLC & Herman’s Horses, LLC and sold for $26,000 at the 2023 TTA Texas Summer Yearling Sale. She struggled in her first two starts last summer at Lone Star Park, so Calhoun gave her a break and ran her in December at Remington Park, with the goal of competing in the Darby’s Daughter, the first Texas Stallion Stakes of 2025.
Ridden confidently by Jose Alvarez, the bay filly dueled in the early going with Moonlight Glow, gaining momentum mid-way on the turn and drawing off by a margin of four lengths. Her final time, over the fast main track, was 1:06.25.
Calhoun considered running Blingster in the $75,000 Bara Lass on January 25 but opted to train her up to the Two Altazano.
“I didn’t want to take too much out of her, and as she was eligible for the Texas Stallion Stakes Series, we aimed for this stakes” explained Calhoun. “She remained in Houston and has worked well. Seems to be right on target for Saturday.”
Blingster will break from post position six under Alvarez as the even money favorite. Trainer Bret Calhoun won last year’s Two Altazanowith Mansfield Racing’s Too Much Kiki. She was recently crowned Texas Horse of the Year as well as Texas Champion Three-Year-Old Filly by the Texas Thoroughbred Association. Calhoun has an impressive legacy in the Two Altazano with eight previous titles, beginning with 2010 champion Tin Top Cat.
Her rivals include three daughters of Competitive Edge, beginning with Douglas Scharbauer’s homebred Evening Edge, trained by Steve Asmussen, who broke her maiden at first asking on October 15 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and will be ridden by Sam Houston Race Park’s leading rider Stewart Elliott. J. R. Caldwell will saddle Evening Edge and Tequila Kiss and both merit consideration. Lonestar Thoroughbreds, LLC’s Edge Chaser ran second to Blingster in the Darby’s Daughter and Chris Landeros will guide the filly by Competitive Edge. Tequila Kiss, owned by Indigo Racing, was winner of the Texas Stallion Stakes – Pan Zareta Division at Lone Star Park. Also sired by Competitive Edge, she will be ridden by Alfredo Triana, Jr.
This stakes honors Two Altazano, the talented Texas-bred filly, owned by the late Harold V. Goodman, who won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks in 1994. She also captured the 1994 Sam Houston Oaks with Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day in the saddle.