GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- An elite cast of the nation's best jockeys, led by three AQHA Champions, Joe Badilla Jr., G.R. Carter Jr. and Jacky Martin, will meet Friday night in North Texas for the AQHA Jockey Championship at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. The second annual event is sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and Lone Star Park.

Invited to join these champions are Alvin "Bubba" Brossette, defending champ Eddie Cox Jr., Dennis Means, Gilbert Ortiz, Dusty Stimpson, Sam Thompson and Juan Vazquez.

As a group, the participants have won more than 13,300 races, with their purse earnings exceeding $121.14 million during their accomplished careers.

"It's truly an honor to be invited back to Lone Star Park and join the top riders in the country for this event," said Badilla, the nation's leader in money earned and races won. "This was an extraordinary event last year, and we were all excited to hear that the AQHA was bringing this event back so we could showcase our talents. At the same time, it gives us a chance to help our injured and disabled brother and sister riders."

One percent of the wagering on the four AQHA Jockey Championship races goes directly to the Jockeys' Guild Disabled Riders Fund. Last year the event raised $5,000 for the fund, which provides financial and medical assistance to disabled and injured jockeys.

Sam Thompson earned the 10th and final slot in the competition by receiving the most votes via an online fan poll that started Oct. 1 at aqha.com/racing.

Vazquez earned his berth as Lone Star Park's all-time Quarter Horse win leader with 95 victories through the start of the current season. Means, winner of this year's Grade 1, $1.9 million All American Futurity, is the only jockey chosen to compete in the championship for the first time.

The jockey with the most points at the end of the four-race, $100,000 purse, competition is crowned champion. Tuesday morning, the four races comprising the AQHA Jockey Championship were drawn. The minimum purse for the four races is $20,000. Riding assignments were determined by a random drawing. The races, which range in distance from 350-550 yards, consist of three evenly matched starter allowance sprints and a 440-yard allowance race.

The Championship races will be the fourth (8:04 p.m. CST post time), fifth (8:30 p.m.), seventh (9:22 p.m.) and eighth (9:48 p.m.). Post time for the first live race Friday is 6:35 p.m.

In the competition, jockeys receive points for finishing first (12 points), second (6 points), third (4) and fourth (3) in each race. Prize money for the event this year is $21,000 total.

Last year, Cox earned $8,000 for winning the event, while Martin bagged $5,000 for second. Stimpson and Carter earned $4,000 and $3,000, respectively for third and fourth. All others collected $2,000.

In addition, five alternates were selected should one or more of the jockeys invited not participate. The alternates, in order of preference: Alex Bautista, Oscar Andrade, Tomey Swan (President of The Jockeys' Guild) and Larry Payne.

More information about the event, including biographical data on each of the jockeys may be found at http://www.aqha.com/racing/latest/jockeychampfactsheet.html or go to Lone Star Park's Web site at http://www.lonestarpark.com.

The five-member selection panel for the event consisted of Rich Chamberlain, editor of The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal; Tom Dawson, American Quarter Horse TV analyst for ESPN and ESPN2; Mike Shamburg, American Quarter Horse racing secretary at Lone Star Park; Danny Cardoza, long time Quarter Horse jockey turned trainer who will be inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2002, and Ben Hudson, editor and publisher of Track Magazine. Preference in the selection process was given to jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the cause which benefits from the event.

Television coverage of the event will be featured on "Racehorse Digest" on Wednesday, November 7 at 2 p.m. (EST) on ESPN2. A repeat airing will take place on Saturday, November 10 at 5:30 a.m. (EST) on ESPN.

Lone Star Park, located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas, hosted the inaugural AQHA Jockey Championship last year. They also have hosted five successful National Thoroughbred Racing Association All-Star Jockey Championships. The North Texas racetrack's live Quarter Horse season continues through Dec. 1.

AQHA Jockey Championship Races:

Fields for the four races, from the rail out (with riders and morning line odds): Race One (fourth race of the night, 8:04 p.m.): Special Dashalot (Gilbert Ortiz, 5-1); Bay To Gray (Eddie Cox Jr., 10-1); Biff Bam Boom (G.R. Carter, Jr., 6-1); Sweet Little Demands (Dennis Means, 6-1); Bac To Dash (Joe Badilla Jr., 9-2); Colonel Clem (Jacky Martin, 10-1); Really A Diva (Sam Thompson, 12-1); Kito Jet (Juan Vazquez, 4-1); Embru Ha Ha (Dusty Stimpson, 8-1) and Straight O Toole (Alvin Brossette, 10-1).

Race Two (fifth race of the night, 8:30 p.m.): Worthsomebets (Cox, 5-1); Four Oh Won Kay (Badilla, 8-1); Bye Bye Baby Goodbye (Ortiz, 12-1); De Moon Angel (Carter, 12-1); Blushing Becky (Means, 5-1); Junos Tiny Gold (Vazquez, 10-1); Im Cowgirl Lady (Brossette, 9-2); Lady Jt Steel (Martin, 4-1); Moses Pea (Stimpson, 6-1) and Elegant Tour (Thompson, 8-1).

Race Three (seventh race of the night, 9:22 p.m): Bugs Dash (Carter, 5-1); Plataoro (Brossette, 7-2); Dukes Cash Trail (Means, 12-1); Looking Reckless (Vazquez, 9-2); Bully Brew (Martin, 6-1); Major Damage Control (Stimpson, 10-1); Twin Towers (Thompson, 8-1); First Shiloh (Cox, 12-1); Shakey Dividend (Badilla, 8-1) and Streakin MD (Ortiz, 6-1).

Race Four (eighth race of the night, 9:48 p.m.): Royal Weapon (Stimpson, 10-1); Steakinmeego (Brossette, 10-1); Little Country Miss (Ortiz, 8-1); The Jovial (Vazquez, 4-1); Viton (Carter, 12-1); Satans Pappa (Thompson, 10-1); Streakin Down Chic (Martin, 9-1); Wholelota Dash (Means, 8-1); Special Influence (Badilla, 8-1) and Victory Defined (Cox, 7-1).

Fans Win With Special Wagers And Online Contest

Fans also have a chance to be big winners Friday! Enter The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal's online contest on their Web site - http://www.aqha.com/racing - and pick the trifecta (top three jockeys in order) for a chance to win $250. Only one entry is allowed per person and per e-mail address, you must be 18 or over to play, and all entries must be received by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, November 2. There is no entry fee or purchase required for the contest.

In addition, fans will be able to wager on their favorite jockeys via the popular AQHA Championship Jockey Wager as Lone Star Park and participating outlets will offer the wager for the second year. Fans can place win, place, show, exacta and trifecta wagers on the AQHA Jockey Championship. Each jockey will be assigned a program number that corresponds to his horses over the four-race series. The points earned by the performance of those horses will determine the special wager payoffs.

In last year's event, Eddie Cox (No. 4) paid $23.80, $9.60 and $7.20 to his backers for winning the competition. Jacky Martin (No. 6) paid $6 and $6.20 for second while Dusty Stimpson (No. 8) paid $40 to show at odds of 128-1. The Exacta of Cox and Martin (4-6) paid $126.80. The Trifecta of Cox, Martin and Stimpson (4-6-8) paid $1,828.40. The total pool for the wagers was $10,043.