One Cool Corona Wins Dramatic Finish In RG1 LQHBA Sale Futurity At Delta Downs

One Cool Corona (#7) gets the nod over Last Freightrain (#1) and Hoztile Takeover (#10) in the $448,711 LQHBA Sale Futurity(RG1) at Delta Downs Saturday.

© Coady Phtography

VINTON, LA–SEPTEMBER 2, 2023–Delta Downs wrapped up its 2023 Fair Grounds at Delta Downs Quarter Horse season on Saturday night. The program featured 10 races and it was headlined by the $448,771 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Sale Futurity (RG1).

There were five total stakes races on the night and the marquee event featured 10 2-year-old competing at 350 yards.

The Sale Futurity featured an ultra-tight three-way photo finish including One Cool Corona, Last Freightrain and Hoztile Takeover. After the photo was examined by the placing judges it was determined that One Cool Corona had his nose on the line first while Last Freightrain and Hostile Takeover finished in a dead heat for second after traveling 350 yards over a sloppy sealed racetrack.

The running time for the winner was :17.725 seconds, which equaled a speed index of 88.

The winning connections of One Cool Corona accept the LQHBA Sale Futurity stakes trophy. © Coady Photography

One Cool Corona, who is owned by Brian L. Gunder and trained by Arturo Juarez Flores, finished second in his trial heat for the Sale Futurity before scoring his second career win in the final under jockey J. R. Ramirez. He earned $201,947 for his futurity score and now has a lifetime bankroll of $214,347.

Bred in Louisiana by Ponderosa Ranch of P C, Inc., One Cool Corona is a 2-year-old bay colt by Open Me A Corona, out of the Heza Fast Dash mare Pm Oh Shez Fast. He was purchased for $33,000 at the 2022 LQHBA Yearling sale.

Sent to the gate at odds of 11-1, One Cool Corona paid $25.20 to win, $10 to place and $6.40 to show. Last Freightrain returned $4.60 to place and $6.20 to show. Hoztile Takeover was worth $3 to place and $4.40 to show.

Last Freightrain and Hoztile Takeover took home $60,584 each for their dead-heat finish for second place.

Harry Stratton paid $33,000 for Last Freightrain at the 2022 LQHBA Yearling Sale. Trainer Guillermo Martinez named jockey Guadalupe Lucio, Jr. to ride the Freighttrain B filly out of Ifuaintfirstulast by First Down Dash. Nash Development bred the $97,984 earner.

Trainer Guillermo Martinez conditions Hoztile Takeover for owners Luis Armando Castellanos and Mackenzie Kretschmer. The son of multiple stakes sire One Sweet Jess was an $11,500 repurchase in the LQHBA Yearling Sale under the name Jess One For Mc.  Roland Frederick and Triple Lynn Farms bred the gelding from the Identity Theft mare Ms Pilot Id. Also a finalist in the Lee Berwick Futurity(RG1) and Mardi Gras Futurity(RG2), Hoztile Takeover has earned $102,934 in seven starts.

Tlc Willie Cartel, Mp Adored, Tf Whatever It Takes, San Lorenzo Moon, Ll Eysa Jess Carter, Apollitical Kate and Freightless completed the field.

Delta Downs will now be dark until the 2023-24 Thoroughbred season begins in October. The 76-day meeting will run from October 6 through February 24 with live programs taking place most Wednesdays through Saturdays. The regular first post time each night will be at 5:15 pm with the exception of a few daytime cards during Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks that will kick off at 12:55 pm.

For more information about the season, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com.

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Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Named “America’s Best Horse Racing Track” by readers of USA TODAY 10Best, Delta Downs features a six-furlong oval track, 15,000 square feet of casino space and more than 1,500 of the most popular slot machines. Amenities include two restaurants, chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center and the FanDuel Sportsbook.