PRESS RELEASE – AJAX DOWNS
Durham regions Jason Pascoe saddles two Ajax Downs runners on lucrative night in California
October 27, 2016 – The post positions are set for Saturday night’s lucrative Bank of America Challenge races at Los Alamitos racetrack in Cypress, California, the world championships for Quarter Horses throughout North America.
Ajax Downs is well represented in two of the five Challenge stakes races that make up a rich card of racing that begins at 9 p.m. EST.
HorseplayerInteractive TV will join the Los Alamitos card in progress and you can also watch and wager on the full card through HPBet.com.
Milena Kwicien’s Rpainted Pistol, winner of the John Deere Ajax Challenge in July, drew post five in a field of 10 for the John Deere Juvenile Challenge (G2), worth $151,250. Rpainted Pistol is trained by Pontypool, ON’s Jason Pascoe. One of North America’s all-time leading Quarter Horse riders, Cody Jensen, has the mount.
The Juvenile Challenge will be run at 350-yards and is race eight, with a post time of 12:16 a.m. EST.
Kwicien and her partner Glen Young are from Burlington, ON and operate Equestrious, specializing in reining and racing Quarter Horses.
“We got here to Los Alamitos Tuesday night and this all started to feel real when we attended the post position draw,” said Kwiecien, who is starting her first horse in the Bank of America Challenge races.
“The draw had a bit of a small ceremony feel to it. There were a few announcements and congratulations, some of the trainers told us a bit about their horses and everyone just seemed to be beaming with the thought of being in the winner’s circle.”
Pascoe, a former equestrian rider who has had a career year at Ajax Downs in 2016, sent out Kwiecien’s filly Denali Teller Off to win the rich Alex Picov Memorial Futurity for 2-year-olds earlier this month after the decision was made to send Rpainted Pistol south.
Pascoe will also be saddling Ruth Barbour’s Country Boy 123 for the $202,000 Adequan Derby Challenge (G3) for 3-year-olds, the ninth race which has a post time of 12:44 a.m.
Country Boy 123, who was trained in Ontario by Bryn Robertson, also drew post five and has 10 rivals in the 400-yard dash.
Barbour and Robertson hail from Hillsburgh, ON. They sent out their gelding to win six of seven strats in 2016 including the Adequan Ajax Challenge in August (which earned him the ticket to the final) and the Picov Derby in September.
Cody Jensen will also ride Country Boy 123.
Alberta Quarter Horse racing is well represented on the evening. Marvin Christensen and Richard Aldoff’s Kr Streakin Verson competes in the Andreini Distance Challenge Championship (G1).
Chuck Stojan of Grande Prairie races his star filly Toughie in the Adequan Derby Challenge and Barry and Janice Sather, recently named the JOhn Deere champion owners for the Bank of America Challenge program, have sent their Alberta-bred Cruisinfourabrusin for the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1).
The Sathers, longtime leading owners and breeders in Alberta, are from Beaverlodge, Alberta. Cruisinfoourabrusn is a 4-year-old with 11 wins in 28 starts.
Information pages on the two races featuring the Ajax runners can be found here:
$200,000 Adequan Derby (G3) – 400 yards
http://www.stallionesearch.com/default.asp?section=127&rd=2
$150,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge (Grade 2) 350-yards
http://www.stallionesearch.com/default.asp?section=127&rd=3
Entries can also be found on www.equibase.com.
 Milena Kwicien’s Rpainted Pistol |
 Country Boy 123 |