BOA CENTRAL CHALLENGE RACING RESULTS

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Poker Feature rallies to win the Bank of America Central Challenge Championship.
Photo by Coady Photography/Jack Coady, Jr.

Poker Feature Heads to November's Bank of America Challenge

PRAIRIE MEADOWS, ALTOONA, IA—AUGUST 11, 20097— Poker Feature, along with Jess Sporty and Eyesa Storm Too filled in the remaining blanks on Saturday at Prairie Meadows as to who will be invited to go on to the 2007 Bank of America Challenge Championships & AQHA Racing Conference at Los Alamitos, California, from Oct 31-Nov 3, 2007.
They will join Friday night's winners, WRS Leading Edge, First to Ramble, and Okie Dokie Annie, who advance in their respective divisions to November's repartee.

Poker Feature rallied from seventh at the top of the stretch going 440 yards to win the $76,140 Bank of America Central Challenge Championship [Grade II] by a half-length in 21.52 seconds. The 4-year-old gelding, trained by Oscar V. Carrete, recorded a Speed Index of 103 and he was the second favorite on the board at post time carrying rider Esgar Ramirez. Mike Inscore's second place runner, Magical Thunder, held off Royal N Rare by a half-length.

Gwen Williams' Iowa-bred WRS Special Shoe finished fourth along the inside rail. This Snow Is Cold, last year's Challenge Champion trained by Frank Mendez, stumbled badly at the beginning of the race to finish eighth.

Poker Feature's owner, Lawrence Boyd, said he claimed the son of Feature Mr Jess out of the Raise Your Glass mare, Tens Your Raise, for $10,000.

"He's never run under the lights before," said Boyd. "He showed up to do his job. We're really pleased. We think he's something to be reckoned with. He has a big heart; he's a special horse."

Poker Feature earned $38,070 of the Bank of America purse. Following fifteen starts, he has seven wins and a trio of second place finishes. The victory returned $9.40, $4.40, and $4.40. Magical Thunder paid $6.00 and $5.20. Royal N Rare paid $9.80 for third place.

SLM Snowman holds the record in the Bank of America Central Championship Challenge set in 2005 in :21.36.

Official order of finish: Poker Feature, Magical Thunder, Royal N Rare, WRS Special Shoe, Mr Chivato to You, Brindis Por Cayenne, Toast Freedom Flyer, This Snow Is Cold, Ice Dreams, MC Special Mystery, A Radical Shot, Feature Movie.

Jess Sporty Outruns A Silver Goblin in Grade III Bayer

Larry Sharp's Jess Sporty [100-SI] began the final leg of the Centralseries by outrunning A Silver Goblin [100-SI] by a head in the $43,560 Bayer Legend Central Challenge [Grade III] and, in doing so, carved 5/100ths from Magical Thunder's stakes record set last year in :19.88. It was the third win of Jess Sporty's career. Folsfirstdown followed by a neck in third place.

Sharp, who also trains the Bayer winner and gave the riding assignment to Helen Vanek, teamed with that jockey and Okie Dokey Annie to win Friday's John Deere Central Distaff Challenge in :19.72.

"They run about the same time, so that's pretty close," said Sharp. "I wouldn't know which one would be the winner [at Los Alamitos]. I own this one. The other one we raised and sold, so that makes us feel pretty good. We had another one in last night in the Juvenile that we'd raised-Im Gone for a Corona."

"We're pretty tickled with what we've been raising and selling," Sharp continued. "This horse seems like the older he gets, the better he gets. He's starting to mature and shape up. He hasn't won all year [before tonight]. If this race were 440 yards, he would have liked it better. He's just now [getting on his game]. He's a big colt; he's just now mature enough to get it all together. Years ago I trained a horse called Tiny's Gait. He was going to be the first horse to ever win the Quarter Horse Triple Crown. I got beat in the All-American by about [three inches]."

Jess Sporty, a gelded son of Mr Jess Perry, added $21,780 to his previous earnings of $49,567. He returned $8.60, $3.40, and $2.80 at the mutuel windows. Wagers on A Silver Goblin paid $2.40 and $2.20. Folsfirstdown returned $6.00. Officials ruled that Yawls Special Show ducked out at the beginning of the race and disqualified him from eighth place to last.

Official order of finish: Jess Sporty, A Silver Goblin, Folsfirstdown, Darlings Injun, High Flyin Playboy, Hindsights Great, Business Tycoon, DQ-Yawls Special Show, Wicket Nicole, Corona With Ice.

Eyesa Storm Too Earns Second Bank of America Training Win for Charley Hunt

The $16,920 Fort Dodge Central Claiming Challenge came down to a view through the crosshairs as trainer Charley Hunt secured his second berth this weekend with Eyesa Storm Too to the 2007 Bank of America Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos.

The 5-year-old son of Mr Eye Opener--Iam Ridiculous by Bully Bullion] held his footing in heavy traffic at 400 yards and got up by a head for his tenth victory in :17.76. Joaquin Lopez is the winning owner.

Digital Velocity gamely pursued at 16-1 odds in second place.

Hunt also qualified Pat and Walt Fletcher's First to Ramble in Friday night's Red Cell Central Distance Challenge.

"It was a little rough getting away from there," said Hunt of Eyesa Storm Too. "On paper, [Eyesa Storm Too] is pretty much the best in this group. That outside horse [Digital Velocity] was closing good."

"......they stepped on him a little bit getting out of there and he tried to lug out," said winning jockey G.R. Carter.

Eyesa Storm Too, bred in Oklahoma by Wesley Ann Anglin, earned $8,714 of the overall purse and the $2 mutuel payoff was $2.80, $2.20, and $2.20. Digital Velocity returned $8.40 and $3.20. Mr Step Ahead paid $2.20 for third place.

After a review of the race, officials disqualified This Babe Shines from fourth place to last for interference while leaving the starting gate.

Official order of finish: Eyesa Storm Too, Digital Velocity, Mr Step Ahead, DQ-This Babe Shines [placed last], WRS All I need, No Options Mister, King of Sudden.

GW Chick holds the record in the Fort Dodge Central Claiming Challenge set in 2004 in :17.51.