Miss Code West, Victory For Vets Score Respective Wins In Texas Oaks, Derby

Miss Code West made her Sam Houston debut a winning one Saturday in the $106,500 Texas Thoroughbred Association Oaks, and Victory for Vets  unleashed a tremendous closing kick to win the $111,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby by nearly five lengths, the highlights of the Texas Champions Day card.

Miss Code West, piloted by her usual rider, Floyd Wethey Jr., gained an early lead in the one mile and 70 yards race and controlled the pace with an easy :24.24 opening quarter. She repelled an attack from Too Much Kiki, who briefly pulled alongside Miss Code West at the top of the stretch. 

Miss Code West ($4.20) won by 2 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:42.60.

Miss Code West's win snapped a four-race win streak for Too Much Kiki, who finished second. Magnolia Avenue was third.

With lifetime earnings of $209,994, Miss Code West has provided a nice return as a $12,000 purchase at the 2022 TTA Yearling Sale by owners Jeffry and Julie Puryear. Bryan Hawk bred the Code West filly in Oklahoma out of Inca Miss, by Kipling. 

“We went up to the sale at Lone Star Park to buy this filly; I’ve had several Okie-breds before,” said Jeffry Puryear. 

“We love to watch her run and appreciate how well Floyd rides her; she’s all his,” Julie Puryear added.

Kevin Scholl trains the typically front-running filly. 

Miss Code West finished her 2-year-old season undefeated in four starts, including three stakes wins at Remington Park. She has been training at Sam Houston and made her 2024 racing debut at  Fair Grounds as the fourth-place finisher in the Silverbulletday Stakes, her only career loss to date. 

Scholl is considering stakes at Will Rogers Downs for his five-time winner,

In the TTA Derby, James Stodola's Victory for Vets rated patiently before uncoiling his winning kick under David Cabrera.

Victory for Vets ($18.80) covered the one mile and 70 yards in 1:42.96.

Strong Promise was second, and favorite Mischievous M was a neck back in third.

Bret Calhoun trains Victory for Vets, a Tapiture colt, for Stodola, a Vietnam War veteran, who honors each of his Texas-breds to commemorate his service.

“He ran a great race, but we had a tough path to get him ready for this,” Calhoun said.  "He’s a playful horse and he is still learning. He was on the wrong lead down the stretch. We’ll take him to Lone Star next.”

Cabrera credited Calhoun for having the colt ready for the TTA Derby.

“I give a lot of credit to Bret Calhoun and his team. I’ve been watching this horse since he broke his maiden last year at Lone Star Park. I felt like today he ran like an older horse, and I knew if I could get him to relax, he would run well.”

Dan Patrick, lieutenant governor of Texas, presented the trophy to jockey David Cabrera on behalf of the connections.

Victory for Vets sold for $70,000 at the TTA Two-Year-Old Sale last April after passing through the ring of the TTA Yearling sale for $57,000. He was bred in Texas by AsmussenEquine.com from of the Smart Strike mare Diamondinthestream.

The colt is two for six lifetime with $113,846 in earnings.