Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino
Sunday, March 30, 2025
KJ Flying Cowgirl scores upset victory as Giles finishes 1-2-3 in $101,990 West Texas Maturity
Trainer Wes Giles saddled the winner, second place and third place finishers in Sunday’s 36th running of the $101,990 West Texas Maturity, with longshot KJ Flying Cowgirl narrowly prevailing over stablemate KJ Wicked Wanda.
Ridden by Emilio Tapia for owners John Lee, W. Kathy Lee and I. Ruben Mares, KJ Flying Cowgirl broke quickly from the gate, dueled for the lead every step of the way and put her nose down on the wire just ahead of KJ Wicked Wanda in a final time of 19.09 seconds in the 400-yard event. The winner earned an Equibase Speed Index figure of 101.
The 4-year-old daughter of Flying Cowboy 123, KJ Flying Cowgirl earned her first career stakes victory and snapped a 12-race losing streak with her win in the West Texas Maturity. She was fifth in the All American Oaks last summer at Albuquerque Downs in her last stakes outing. Sunday’s win improves her lifetime record to three wins from 17 starts and earnings of more than $170,000.
KJ Flying Cowgirl finished fourth in her most recent start when trials were held for the West Texas Maturity on March 9. She now has two wins from five starts at Sunland Park.
KJ Wicked Wanda, ridden by Christian Cardenas, was a close second. In addition to the top pair, Giles also saddled third place runner KJ Wildthang with jockey Christian Ramos in the saddle. Owners Kathy and John Lee and Ruben Mares also finished 1-2-3.
KJ Flying Cowgirl, sent off at odds of 15.70-to-1, returned $33.40 to her winning backers. The Giles-trained $2 exacta with KJ Wicked Wanda paid back $248.20.
RC Corona King, the prohibitive post time favorite at odds of 1-to-5, lost all chance of defending his title in the West Texas Maturity just moments out of the gate when the son of Eye Am King bobbled coming out of the blocks and was bounced around on both sides under jockey Sergio Dominguez. RC Corona King wound up finishing fourth in the field of eight runners.
The final week of the Sunland Park racing season kicks off Thursday afternoon with an 11-race program that has a first post time of 12:25 p.m. The closing weekend programs on Saturday and Sunday feature several prominent stakes races, including Saturday’s $349,620 New Mexican Spring Futurity and the $363,880 Grade 2 West Texas Futurity and the $90,000 NMHBA Quarter Horse Stakes. Sunday’s closing day card will be highlighted by the $200,000 Casa Ford Sunland Park Handicap, the $125,000 Mine That Bird Derby and the $90,000 NMSU University Stakes.
