Stakes offer slots in Challenge Championships

There are invites to the prestigious Challenge Championships on the line Saturday night at Retama Park near San Antonio. The track will close its Quarter Horse meet with a pair of stakes offering its winners the chance to compete on a card of major stakes Oct. 29 at Los Alamitos.

The $75,870 Juvenile Challenge at Retama is led by fastest-qualifier Desdemona Rambler. He won his 350-yard trial in 17.86 seconds July 30. Desdemona Rambler rolled by the significant margin 1 3/4 lengths for breeder-owner Dan Grube and trainer Brian Stroud.

Desdemona Rambler has now won 2 of 4 starts and on the strength of a third-place finish in the Sam Houston Futurity in April leads all Juvenile Challenge starters in earnings with a bankroll of $64,000. The chief threat could be three-time winner Shez Freaky, who earlier this year ran fourth in the Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity at Louisiana Downs.

Stroud, who is winning races at a 31 percent clip this meet at Retama, also has the fastest qualifier in the $43,200 Derby Challenge. He will send out Tellereyematthebar, who won his 400-yard trial in 20.11 seconds July 29. He improved his record to 3 for 6 with the victory and will be making his stakes debut Saturday.