TW Streakin Cowboy strikes in John Deere Regional Challenge at Horseshoe Indianapolis

TW Streakin Cowboy and Diego Villamil Bocanegra took one step closer to the Grade 2 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship set Oct. 18 at The Downs at Albuquerque.

The local duo rallied home for the win in the regional challenge for the John Deere Juvenile to earn a spot in the final.

TW Streakin Cowboy (photo) began from post six and wasn’t the first out of the gate but was surrounded by speed. WR Hott Shott and Horseshoe Indianapolis current leading Quarter Horse jockey Eduardo Diaz sprinted out to the early lead to the inside of TW Streakin Cowboy. Mr Booombastic and Martin Munoz also showed early speed along the inside.

As the race took shape, those three horses established themselves as the ones to catch. WR Hott Shott was leading the way before TW Streakin Cowboy stepped in during the final strides, scoring the win by a neck in 17.554 seconds.

WR Hott Shott was a comfortable second over Mr Booombastic.

TW Streakin Cowboy was making his third career start, and second as a race finisher. In his first race, he reared at the start and lost jockey Villamil in the process. He came back with a second place finish in July, setting him up for his maiden breaking win in the John Deere Juvenile Challenge. As one of the favorites of the field, he paid $7.20 for the win.

“He (TW Streakin Cowboy) broke a little tardy,” noted Villamil Bocanegra, who was leading the Quarter Horse jockey standings last summer before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the meet in 2025. “But once he got going, he was good. He does his job very well.”

Waiting for the pair in the winner’s circle was former jockey and current trainer Natasha Perez, who ponies all her horses to post aboard her horse Marshmallow. Perez is a second generation jockey, following her mother, Julie Veltman, into the business. She now trains for owner Thomas Wylie of Ohio, who also bred the son of Flying Cowboy 123.

“We felt we had a really good shot today in the race,” said Perez aboard Marshmallow for her post race interview with Rachel McLaughlin, racing analyst at Horseshoe Indianapolis. “This horse has so much potential, and I don’t think he’s shown us yet what he can do. He gets better and better. We are so excited to see his potential. I’m not sure if we will make the trip to the Challenge or not. We will talk about it and see.”

Cox Ranch Distaff Regional Challenge

Kelli Girl and Edgar Diaz (photo) left no room for doubt Tuesday during the regional qualifier for the Cox Ranch Distaff Challenge. The duo powered home to graduate to stakes winning status in the 400-yard dash in a time of 19.807.

Kelli Girl began from post three and broke with the pack out of the gate. It only took a few strides for her to get going and get the early edge in the petite field of seven. Skyline Spirit and Germarius O’Neal broke sharp to the inside and had a short lead with Can D Girl and Giovani Vazquez-Gomez showing a lot of early speed from the outside. Midway through the race, Kelli Girl took over and it was clear sailing to the wire, winning by three lengths.

Relentless Reba and Isidro Banuelos were closing in quickly on the outside to grab second away from Skyline Spirit in the final stride.

“She (Kelli Girl) was a little nervous at first when she was in the gate and she didn’t break as well as I wanted,” noted Diaz. “But once she got going, she stepped up. She was strong and tried hard to the wire.”

Kelli Girl paid $6.00 for the win. The three-year-old Tempting Dash filly is owned and trained by Claudio Barraza. She was a $17,000 purchase last fall as a two-year-old from the Heritage Place Fall Mixed Sale.

A Texas bred, Kelli Girl earned only her second career win in her sixth career start. She nearly doubled her career earnings in the effort to more than $32,000 with the win.

Kelli Girl is a half-sister to the great Jessies First Down, a two time AQHA World Champion and multiple Graded Stakes winner of 19 races and more than $1.5 million in earnings. Both horses were bred and raised by Ted Abrams of Texas.

Kelli Girl is now eligible to the Bank of America Challenge Championships set for Oct. 18 at The Downs at Albuquerque, a step Barraza advanced to last year with Arbitro and scored the win in the Grade 2 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship.

“She (Kelli Girl) is bred very well, and she showed it today,” said Barraza. “We will see what she says as far as going to the Challenge.”

Adequan Derby Regional Challenge

RR Lotta Runforrobyn and Francisco Quintero timed their move just right to score the win Tuesday in the $39,363 Adequan Derby Regional Challenge.

The duo stopped the timer in 20.017 in the 400-yard dash to gain a seat at the Challenge Championships slated for Oct. 18 at The Downs at Albuquerque.

The competitive field of six broke together and stayed together during the first half of the race. Whata Lota Boy, ridden by Martin Munoz, was battling between Jefris Gold Wagon and Diego Villamil Bocanegra and Celtic Cartel with Rolando Pina aboard. It wasn’t until the latter stages of the race that RR Lotta Runforrobyn began a factor, closing in gamely at the last minute to take the lead from Whata Lota Boy.

Cowboy on the Fly and L. Daniel Martinez finished third. Less than a length separated the entire field at the wire.

“This horse (RR Lotta Runforrobyn) always tries hard,” noted Quintero, translated through Tony Cunningham’s longtime assistant trainer Salvatore Villalobos. “He always runs hard. He was really trying the last couple of yards.”

RR Lotta Runforrobyn paid $5.00 for the win. It was his fourth career victory for owner Pamela Hann of A Win Investments. Tony Cunningham trains the sorrel son of Favorite Cartel. He was acquired by Hann and Cunningham from the Heritage Place Yearling Sale for $80,000 and now has just under $100,000 in career earnings.

He is three for six in 2025 and his win in the Adequan Derby Challenge was his third stakes victory.

“We are very happy with how this horse has come along,” said Hann in a post-race interview with McLaughlin. “We bought him at Heritage and hope we can get another one just like him. Tony (Cunningham) is out there right now. He has been a great horse for us, and he is such a good boy. You would never know he is a stallion. He is so calm in the barn.”

Hann has made major investments in the Indiana Quarter Horse racing program in recent years. She now stands the stallion EOS A Political Win, a Grade 3 Dash for Cash Derby winner and son of Apollitical Jess. He stands at West Central Veterinary Services in Rockville, Indiana, and had his first Graded Stakes winner last summer as AP Political Patriot won the Restricted Grade 3 QHRAI Stallion Service Auction Futurity.

He continues to have stakes winners from two crops of racing age with 25 two-year-olds racing this season. Overall, he’s had 40 starters from 55 foals.

The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news, sports, obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed.