Stunning performance by Pritty in QHRAI Derby

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (Oct. 26, 2019) – Pritty may be a petite, pretty filly, but she was not intimidated by the boys in the 23rd running of the $124,200 QHRAI Derby. The sophomore filly rolled to her second straight win during the final all-Quarter Horse racing night of 2019 at Indiana Grand. The race is one of the first stakes races held in the state of Indiana, implemented during the inaugural season of pari-mutuel racing at Hoosier Park in 1997.

A winner in her trial and the second fastest qualifier of the 9 finalists, Pritty came out of the gate roaring with speed. She was able to get a quick jump on the field early from post three for jockey Jose Beltran. The filly, who is easily identifiable by her white breast collar, never relinquished her spot ahead of the pack, lengthening her stride as she neared the wire. The chestnut filly was a winner by three-quarters of a length in a time of :20.288 in the 400-yard dash. A fierce battle for second between four horses took place with WRs Valentino and Berkley Packer getting a nose ahead of Worth Doing Right and Oscar Macias for the second and third spot respectively.

“She (Pritty) just needed a little time,” said Beltran. “She took three months off earlier this year and they have been working hard to bring her back slower. She is a very nice filly and she tries so hard.”

Owned by Miguel Lechuga, Pritty is now five for 13 during her career. The Coronado Cartel filly, bred in Texas, is trained by Ricardo Martinez, who ships in from the Chicago area to race at Indiana Grand.

“Having three weeks between races made a big difference for this filly,” noted Martinez. “Bringing her back too quickly isn’t the right thing for her, but tonight, she came back strong with three weeks between the trials and the final.”

It was the second win on the card for Beltran, who is currently in second place on the leading jockey standings for 2019. Beltran, top jockey from the 2018 at Indiana Grand, arrived in the middle of the summer and has scored all of his wins during the last half of the season. With one more week of racing left in Indiana, he is already thinking about his next move.

“I would really like to go to Texas, but I’m not sure,” said Beltran in a post-race interview with Martha Claussen, who was trackside to assist with the evening’s festivities. “My family is in Mexico and I would be closer to them there.”