WRS Special Shoe earned his first career Grade 1 victory in Saturday's $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) at Evangeline Downs.

A homebred 6-year-old First Down Laveaux gelding owned by Randy and Gwen Williams' Williams Racing Stables Inc. of La Center, Kentucky, WRS Special Shoe went 440 yards in :21.653, earning a 104 speed index and missing by just 7/1000ths the track record established by Glitter Spider Man in an allowance/optional claiming race in 2005. Jarrod Deschamp rode WRS Special Shoe for trainer Heath Taylor.

WRS Special Shoe's winning margin was a nose from Grade 1 winner and 6-5 favorite Chances Are I Wil, and the victory earned the gelding a berth in the December 13, $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos.

"He's a real nice horse, and I knew he'd run strong," said Deschamp of WRS Special Shoe. "We kind of opened up on 'em a little bit, but (Chances Are I Wil) came on and challenged us. We were fast enough to hold him off."

WRS Special Shoe is one of two stakes winners from 98 starters sired by First Down Laveaux, a winning and Grade 2-placed 16-year-old stallion by First Down Dash whose six crops have earned more than $2.2 million. The gelding is also one of eight winners from nine starters foaled by the winning Zevi (TB) mare Hava Zevi.

WRS Special Shoe is a half brother to three stakes-winning Mr Eye Opener geldings, including 1998 Valley Junction Futurity (G2) winner Mr Ollie Te and '07 Valley Junction winner WRS Leading Edge. The gelding was coming off of a third-place finish in the October 17 Evangeline Downs Challenge Stakes, his first out on the track.

"I think having a race over the track helped him," said Deschamp. "Heath did a lot of work with him between that race and this one. I knew we had a good shot, and everything went our way."

A winner of 17 of 48 races, WRS Special Shoe has earned $670,514. The gelding's eight stakes victories include the August 23 Terrace Hill Stakes (RG3) for Iowa-breds at Prairie Meadows.

Sassys Tuffy, Budj, Diamond Tres Seis, Okey Dokey Fonda, A Silver Goblin, Vis Special, Heza Fast Classic, Run Perry Run and I Opening Sensation completed the order of finish.