In a thrilling three-horse photo finish, This Snow Is Cold, the lone female in a field of 11 older horses, nosed out longshot WRS Special Shoe and LDS Dash For Dylan to win the $301,500 American Quarter Horses Association MBNA America Challenge Championship on November 11, at Lone Star Park.

The win was worth $150,000 for the Texas-bred daughter of This Snow Is Royal and earned her a berth in the prestigious $600,000 Grade 1 Champion of Champions, at Los Alamitos Race Course on December 9.

“They call it the Challenge and this has been challenging, the last couple of months,” said Melinda Garcia, who trains This Snow Is Cold for Los Ladrilleros Horse Racing Company. “But now we’ll be headed to California in December.”

Ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo, This Snow Is Cold ran 440 yards in :21.669, as the 5-2 second betting choice. Defending AQHA World Champion DM Shicago, the slight 5-2 favorite, finished fourth, a neck behind LDS Dash For Dylan.

With Saturday’s victory, her tenth in 29 starts, This Snow Is Cold atoned for her loss in a runner-up finish to Catchmeinyourdreams in last year’s MBNA America Challenge Championship, and increased her lifetime earnings to $469,835.

The MBNA America was the richest of six AQHA Challenge Championship races at Lone Star Park on November 11. Magical Thunder claimed the $200,000 Grade 1 Bayer Legend Derby; Eye Caughtcha Peekin won $100,000 Grade 2 John Deere Distaff; Strider Man prevailed in the $100,000 Grade 1 Red Cell Distance; Remember Me Rose won the $150,000 Grade 2 Ford Juvenile; and Speedy Injun took the $75,000 Professional’s Choice Claiming Race.