Apollitical Mogul, under jockey Edwin Escobedo, winning the $36,933 Q-Racing Video Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge (G3) on Saturday afternoon at Prairie Meadows.

© Coady Photography

ALTOONA, IA—AUGUST 14, 2021—Apollitical Mogul earned her berth to the 2021 Challenge Championships as the winner of the $36,933 Q-Racing Video Prairie Meadows Distaff Challenge (G3) on Saturday afternoon at Prairie Meadows.

Apollitical Mogul ($2.80) and Edwin Escobedo covered the 400-yard stake in 19.840 and earned a 95 speed index. Jason Olmstead trains the 5-year-old Apollitical Jess mare for owner Tom Maher.

The multiple graded stakes placed mare was bred in Texas by Mercy Hinklins Horse Farm, LLC, out of Cash Cartel, by Corona Cartel.

Apollitical Mogul is nine for 30 lifetime with $187,539 in earnings, including the winner’s $19,205 share of the Distaff. In her previous start, she finished second to the accomplished Lynnder 16 in the Q-Racing Video Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge (G3) in July. She was third in both the Canterbury and Prairie Meadows regionals last year.

As a 3-year-old in 2019, Apollitical Mogul won the Adequan Prairie Meadows Derby Challenge and competed in the Adequan Derby Challenge Championship (G3) in Albuquerque that fall. She was third in the Valley Junction Futurity at Prairie Meadows and finished second in the NCQHRA Futurity at Canterbury and the Canterbury Park Derby.

El Oh El finished second for trainer Bob Johnson and owner and breeder George Seward; Stormy Smith had the call. Seward bred the 5-year-old mare in Colorado, by Apollitical Jess and out of the Ivory James mare Cute Ivory Girl.

El Oh El was second in the 2020 Distaff regional at Prairie Meadows and competed in the Q-Racing Video Challenge Championship (G1) at Albuquerque. She debuted at Los Alamitos as a 2-year-old and is multiple stakes placed at Arapahoe, including a second-place finish in the 2019 Lucille Rowe Derby.

She added $8,495 to her lifetime earnings of $68,734 and has four wins and four seconds in 23 career starts.

Features Finest Kind and Bonifacio Quiroz completed the trifecta for trainer Ed Hardy. The Tres Seis mare is owned by Larry Morehead and Xcel Farms. Ware Farms bred the mare in Texas, out of Feature For You by Feature Mr Jess.

Features Finest Kind is two for 17 lifetime with $31,374 earned. The 5-year-old mare made her first stakes appearance two starts back in the Q-Racing Video Canterbury Park Distaff Challenge (G3).

Completing the field were Roses for a Princess and Lotas First. Apollitical J Julia and Regal Dynasty were scratched at the gate.