Royal Victory Thoroughbreds - March 2026 Newsletter

Hello Royal Victory Thoroughbreds Partners and Racing Enthusiasts,

The seven colts and geldings stood in the gate for the 3rd race at Turf Paradise on a seasonally warm afternoon in late February. Our horse was the morning line favorite, but was still a five-year old maiden after nine tries. With three seconds and a third, the ‘Winners Circle’ was proving to be an elusive destination.

Heading into this race, the stable was also in an uncharacteristic funk. It had been a year since it last won, feeding a sense of uncertainty. Those euphoric emotions of past victories had long since faded to distant memories. Analyzing the race, the local track handicapper made a weak case to beat our guy lacking conviction. His only motivation was to avoid such short odds. Could this be the breakthrough day for both horse and stable? As they broke from the gate, the bettors showed their utmost confidence by making our horse the logical odds-on favorite.

At six and one half furlongs, this race was shorter than his previous efforts and thus, sprinting to an early lead would be a huge tactical advantage. As they left the gate, fingers were crossed and charms were rubbed. The break was perfect, but the jockey failed to send our horse, instead letting him settle mid-pack. Uncertainty and doubt knocked at the door. When the race was more than half-over, the track announcer frantically proclaimed, “he’s got to go from there as he’s four wide and now in fourth.” Uncertainty and doubt stormed into the room.

Staying wide throughout the turn, our horse gained third, but still remained a few lengths behind the leader. With a just a furlong to go, he finally appeared to find his best stride. Could he run down the leader or would he run out of racetrack before the finish line? Bang and a Boom continued to gain with every stride, passed the leader, drew clear and crossed the wire first going away. Amidst screams of ‘Go … Go … Go’, uncertainty and doubt was emphatically tossed to the curb. The sweet taste of victory returned to Royal Victory Thoroughbreds with a reminder as to why we play this game.

Soon after the Year of Horse officially arrived, Royal Victory Thoroughbreds enjoyed its first winner of 2026 when Bang and a Boom broke his maiden at Turf Paradise. You can check out his winning move from his RVT webpage here. He also ran a close second earlier in the the month. Meanwhile, at Laurel Park, Snowboarder showed some improvement by finishing third on Valentines Day. Additionally, Chief Wild Eagle returned to the starting gate after a six-month absence and ran a credible race against Allowance company at Turf Paradise. Overall, Royal Victory scored a win, a second and a third in five total races in February.

Looking ahead, both Bang and a Boom and Chief Wild Eagle will remain at Turf Paradise as they prepare for their next race. Snowboarder, unfortunately bounced in her subsequent race in late February and has been turned out for some R&R. She’ll return to Laurel Park in April.

Lucky Tin Tin continues to train at Laurel Park and remains on target to make her career debut in the April-May timeframe. Out west, Emerald Downs has finally reopened for training. Jess in Time, Princess Hekawi and Native Empress are all now at Emerald Downs as they prepare for the upcoming season.

🐴 RVT Horses - In Training 🏇

• Chief Wild Eagle (CA)- Last race at TURF PARADISE (2/26/26), 7th place. In training at Turf Paradise - next projected start is March at Turf Paradise.

• Bang and a Boom (CA) - Last race at TURF PARADISE (2/26/26), 1st place. In training at Turf Paradise - next projected start is March at Turf Paradise.

• Lucky Tin Tin (MD) - Unraced. In training at Laurel Park. First projected start is late April or May at Laurel Park.

• Princess Hekawi (CA) - Last race at SANTA ANITA (3/17/25), 7th place. In training at Emerald Downs.

• Jess in Time - Last race at EMERALD DOWNS (9/7/25), 3rd place. In training at Emerald Downs.

• Native Empress - Last race at EMERALD DOWNS (7/26/25), 6th place. In training at Emerald Downs this month.

🚜 RVT Horses - Turned Out 🧺

• Snowboarder (KY) - Feb races at LAUREL PARK (2/27/26), 6th place (2/14/26), 3rd place. Turned out in Virginia. Will return to Laurel Park in April.

• Louisville Liam -Unraced and turned out in Virginia. Projected to return to Laurel Park in April.

• Turn Back da Clock - Unraced 2-year-old currently in Yakima.

• NEW! Tony Baloney - Unraced 2-year-old currently in Yakima.

Entry Alerts ⚠️ Upcoming RVT Races

Check the website regularly for latest RVT entries

Race Results: February 2026

• Snowboarder f, 23 finished 6th in the 1st race, a MCL race, on 02/27/26 at LAUREL PARK

• Bang and a Boom g, 21 finished 1st in the 3rd race, a MCL race, on 02/26/26 at TURF PARADISE

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 finished 7th in the 4th race, an AOC race, on 02/26/26 at TURF PARADISE

• Snowboarder f, 23 finished 3rd in the 1st race, a MCL race, on 02/14/26 at LAUREL PARK

• Bang and a Boom g, 21 finished 2nd in the 4th race, a MCL race, on 02/05/26 at TURF PARADISE

Timed Workouts: February 2026:

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 4f in 48.6 on 02/22/26 at SANTA ANITA

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 5f in 1:02.2 on 02/15/26 at SANTA ANITA

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 5f in 1:02.2 on 02/08/26 at SANTA ANITA

• Snowboarder f, 23 worked 3f in 37.8 on 02/04/26 at LAUREL PARK

• Chief Wild Eagle g, 19 worked 5f in 1:02.0 on 02/01/26 at SANTA ANITA

In the Spotlight < Bang and a Boom, 21

“We may have a problem” said his trainer when Bang and a Boom was a young two-year old on the farm. After a brief session in the round-pen as a yearling, Bang and a Boom appeared notably unstable. After testing negative for West Nile, it was speculated that he may have contracted EPM, a degenerative disease that impacts the spinal cord. EPM, however, is not easily diagnosed outside a necropsy. It is typically diagnosed by continuously monitoring symptoms and via process of elimination (of other issues).

At that point, it seemed unlikely Bang and a Boom would race and the primary worry shifted to his survival. Waiting and watching for several months, his condition did not worsen. In fact, he began to improve and was transitioned from stall to pasture. He grew in strength and stability and no longer showed instability symptoms. After additional monitoring for several more months, he earned a trip to Emerald Downs and ultimately breezed for the first time in June of 2024 as a three-year-old.

Bang and a Boom made his career debut at Emerald Downs in Sept of 2024 as a three year-old and just missed a debut victory in finishing second by a nose. In spite of running second, he was a massive winner by just making it to the races against some long odds early in his life. He never quit and we never gave up on him. In Feb 2026, Bang and a Boom broke his maiden at Turf Paradise. He is the third foal out of the mare Hekawi and is now her third progeny to find the winners circle (Chief Wild Eagle and Princess Hekawi) out of four to race (the fourth is Native Empress who has raced just once).

Time, patience and putting the horse first was his ultimate tonic. He has blossomed into a competitive racehorse with a win, three seconds and a third in ten career starts. Look out for him this spring at Turf Paradise this summer at Emerald Downs!