TRIALS AT SAM HOUSTON FRIDAY NIGHT

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM



A Special Stoli Returns To Form In Bayer Legend Texas Trials




HOUSTON, TX—JUNE 30, 2007—Javier Marquez's A Special Stoli returned to form Friday night with a convincing one length win while posting the fastest time in the $40,000-added Bayer Legend Texas Derby Challenge(G3) trials.

Texas Challenge trials to the Bayer Legend, John Deere Distaff and Red Cell Distance were contested on the opening night of summer racing at Sam Houston Race Park.

The Alex Villareal trained A Special Stoli was coming off an eighth place finish in the Retama Derby(G1) on June 16. Prior to that the Stoli colt bred by Muller Racing, LLC had won three of five outings on the season including the Longhorn Derby(G2) and posting the fastest qualifying time to the Retama Derby(G1).

A Special Stoli covered the 400 yards in :20.036 seconds defeating First Signing, a Streakin La Jolla gelding who has strung together four wins in five starts this season at Remington Park. Racing for First Signing Syndicate he is saddled by Joel Garza.

The grade 1 winner Snowy Alibi won final trial by two lengths in :20.224 for the third best time of the night. D.D. Lightsey owns This Snow Is Royal gelding .

Snowy Alibi, was a superstar last summer at Sam Houston Race Park, winning both the $343,305 TQHA Sale Futurity on July 28 and the $316,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G1) on September 8.

He was purchased at the 2005 TQHA Yearling Sale for $38,000 by Lightsey and with his victory in the TQHA Sale Futurity and the Sam Houston Futurity became only the third horse in Sam Houston Race Park history to win both premier races. War Colors in 1999, trained by the late Steve Van Bebber and Azoom, conditioned by Frank Cavazos in 2004 are the only other 2-year-olds to accomplish this impressive feat.



In other Challenge trials run Friday night at Sam Houston Shake Em Fever set the fastest time in the $20,000-added John Deere Distaff Challenge trials for fillies and mares.

The home-bred Royal Shake Em filly of Betty and Bob Moore raced to a head victory over I Opening Sensation in :20.173 seconds for the top time.

I Opening Sensation is a four-year-old Eyesa Special filly owned by S Bar S and trained by R.C. Howell.



In the Red Cell Distance Texas Challenge trials it was all Big Bad N Brown who scored a 1-1/2 length win in the final of two trials over A Dasha Red.

The Gold Regent (TB) gelding owned by P.J. Schachle and R.C. Howell went 45.051 seconds for the best 870 time in the trials. Howell also handles training duties.

A Dasha Red is a seven-year-old Red (TB) gelding owned and trained by K.C. Carden.