SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024) — Full Boogie was in full force Thursday, Oct. 3 at Horseshoe Indianapolis, turning in the fastest time of three trials for the QHRAI Derby. The race, one of the first to be implemented during the inaugural season of pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in the state of Indiana in 1997, began with a purse of $10,000. This year’s final purse is $133,400 as the race joins three other stakes finals on Indiana Champions Day Saturday, Oct. 26 featuring purses in excess of $1 million for the state’s top Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.
 
Entering the gate for the middle trial of the day, Full Boogie exploded into action from post two for jockey Erik Esqueda. The remainder of the field only had a view from behind as the duo led all the way to the wire in the 400-yard dash for the comfortable win in :19.818 seconds. Relentlessly Special and LD. Martinez moved up later in the race to finish three-quarters of a length back in second over SJF Goyo Leon and Isidro Banuelos, who finished a neck back in third.
 
Full Boogie was overlooked by the betting public, paying $15.00 for the win. The sorrel son of Tempting Dash is owned by Luis Sanchez’ L/C Enterprise LLC. Gustavo Almanza earned his first training win of the meet with Full Boogie.
 
The final trial on the night recorded the second fastest qualifier as Tres of Blood and Edgar Diaz earned their fourth straight win. Also, out of the gate swiftly, Tres of Blood led the field from the center of the track to the wire in commanding fashion for the win in :19.871. One Smoken Dynasty and Rolando Pina finished three-quarters of a length back in second followed by Skyline Spirit and Aron Hunt for third.
 
Tres of Blood paid $5.00 as the favorite of the field The three-year-old son of Apollitical Blood is owned by Campos Family Ventures and trained by Claudio Barraza. He already has two stakes wins to his credit this year with five wins in six outings for 2024.
 
The first trial produced the fourth fastest qualifier as Thunder Cartel and Isidro Banuelos cruised under the wire in :19.973. The son of Favorite Cartel led with authority down the stretch to score the win by three-quarters of a length over favored Cleave and Martin Munoz, who maintained their position in second the entire way. BP Southern Jessie and Edgar Diaz finished third.
 
Thunder Cartel was a bit of a surprise winner, paying $14.00 for the win. He is owned by Luis Huerta and trained by Jose Huerta. The win was his second of the season and third overall.
 
The entire competitive field for the QHRAI Derby Final, with jockey and time, includes: Full Boogie (:19.818, Erik Esqueda); Tres of Blood (:19.871, Edgar Diaz); Relentlessly Special (:19.955, L.D. Martinez); Thunder Cartel (:19.973, Isidro Banuelos); SJF Goyo Leon (:19.978, Isidro Banuelos); Last Game Lady (:19.993, Edgar Diaz); One Smoken Dynasty (:20.016, Rolando Pina); Cleave (:20.107, Martin Munoz); Skyline Spirit (:20.123, Aron Hunt); and Famous Lollipop (:20.146, Alberto Ceron). Trainer Jose Huerta will saddle two for the final, Thunder Cartel and SJF Goyo Leon.
 
The QHRAI Derby joins the $235,600 Miss Roxie Little, which gains Restricted Grade 3 status this year, and the $269,900 Governor’s Stake, which becomes the richest Quarter Horse race ever run in the state of Indiana. The Governor’s Stake was the very first race held during the inaugural pari-mutuel season for Quarter Horse racing in 1997 at Hoosier Park. The race was contested for $10,000 and was won by Easys Night Beat and Carter Riley. Both Riley and Easys Night Beat were honored earlier this season with new Overnight Stakes named in their honor at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
 
The 22^nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing extends through Thursday, Nov. 14. Racing is held at 2:10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. One additional all-Quarter Horse racing day is set for 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis/racing or find the track on Social Media @HSIndyRacing.