Canterbury Receives 2018 AQHA Regional Challenge Championship Races
AQHA has released the 2018 schedule of Regional Challenge Championship races. The number of races, as well as purses for each race, have been cut from 2017. The total number of regional races is half the number of 2017, meaning that each regional race will now carry two berths to the Challenge Championship finals.
In 2018, the Challenge Championships will be held at Los Alamitos on November 17.
Canterbury Park requested four regional races: the Championship, Distaff, Derby and Distance divisions. However, it was only awarded two of the four requested: the Bank of America Championship Challenge and the Boehringer Ingelhiem (formerly Merial) Distaff Challenge.
Canterbury has hosted the Championship and Distaff regional races for the previous two years, and winner of each Canterbury regional has continued to win the Grade 1 final each year: The Fiscal Cliff in 2017 and AJs High in 2016.
Cuts in AQHA purse contributions to the regional Challenge races result in added money of $25,000 for the Distaff and $40,000 for the Championship; these figures are down from 2017 but are still the richest and second-richest in their respective divisions.
Due to the decreased number of regional races in 2018, trials will be possible for both divisions.
$400 Nominations due: April 15
$800 Sustaining OR $2,500 Late Fee: May 15
Trials: June 14/15
Final: July 4