A Tempting Dash
4-Year-Old Gelding
(First Down Dash - A Tempting Chick by Chicks Beduino)

Qualified by winning the Go Man Go Handicap

Lifetime Record: 21-8-2-6, $421,817          2010 Record: 5-3-0-1, $117,321

You know you are doing something right as a racehorse when the trainer of the reigning AQHA World Champion refers to you one of the best older horses on the grounds at Los Alamitos. That's exactly what Adan Farias, who trains World Champion Freaky, said about Go Man Go Handicap and Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap winner A Tempting Dash. Farias was impressed with A Tempting Dash's victories in both of those races, which included a defeat of his charge Freaky in the Go Man Go. A Tempting Dash certainly figures to be one of the toughest rival that Freaky will face in his quest to win the 2010 Champion of Champions. In fact, A Tempting Dash is being considered by many racing observers as one of the top choices to come out on top in the prestigious 440-yard classic.

A Tempting Dash has only made five starts this year, but he's made the most of them. He began the year owned by Ron and Denise VanAmburgh and Giambi Racing Stables when running third in a trial to the Vessels Maturity back on May 29 and a troubled sixth in the Vessels final on June 18 certainly did not make him look as one of the nation's top older horses. However, the 4-year-old gelded son of First Down Dash turned it around quickly from there, as he returned to win the Spencer Childers for new trainer Jose Flores after being purchased privately by group that included Jose Ramon Sandoval. A Tempting Dash won the Spencer Childers by ¾ lengths while covering the 400 yards in :19.293. A Tempting Dash now officially runs for the Deleyco Race Team Corporation

"We were big fans of this race because he is such a gamer," said Hector Rios, who was representing the new connections of A Tempting Dash in the winner's circle on the night of the Spencer Childers. "He is a good looking horse and we always hoped that he would return to his top form."

While the Spencer Childers showed that he still had the form that had helped him win the 2009 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, it was his Go Man Go victory that proved that he was contender for the title of World Champion. On that night, A Tempting Dash did what many thought was not possible. He beat Freaky to end the phenom's seven-race win streak. Granted, A Tempting Dash was carrying only 124 pounds to Freaky's highweight of 128 pounds on that night, but his winning time of :19.32 did rank as the second fastest ever in the 50-year history of the Go Man Go. His win time was 3/100ths of a second behind the stakes record set by Jess You And I in 2009.

"A Tempting Dash beat a horse that he was not supposed to beat," trainer Jose Flores said. "Freaky is a great champion, but we got him. When he drew the number one post (in the Go Man Go) I was a little concerned because he gets anxious in the gate. He handled it like a pro tonight and then gave us his all in the race."

Flores has been a great story of his own in 2010. Flores was not able to be on hand when A Tempting Dash was winning the Spencer Childers because he was taking care of a more important item – his health. At the time of the Spencer Childers, Flores was recovering from gastric bypass surgery.

"I was too heavy," Flores said. "Everything hurt – my body, my joints, everything. I was aware that any old diet wouldn't help me. It was something I had to do or I wasn't going to be here in five years."

Flores, who once tipped the scales at 470 pounds, has lost over 100 pounds thanks to the surgery. "My family was thrilled when I decided to do the surgery," he said. "My mom and dad were always worried about my weight and we knew that there were risks involved, but we're all happy that I'm here on this day. I'm now 35-year-olds with a family and two beautiful daughters, 10-year-old Jocely and 4-year-old Briana. I needed to do this for them and so that I could keep going on training horses and living for as long as possible.

"The Go Man Go ranked right up there with my best moments because of the horse that we beat in Freaky. I've been fortunate to win some nice races in my career and they've all had their own merits, but this one (was) certainly a good moment. I hope that there's more to come."

An anticipated rematch between A Tempting Dash and Freaky in the Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship did not materialize because the runner landed on the vet list after bleeding in the Go Man Go. Flores said the blood was due to the horse hitting the starting gate with his face when false breaking prior to the race. Fortunately for his connections, his next outing was a flyer. A Tempting Dash won a 350-yard allowance test by ½ length in a sizzling time of :17.18 on November 6.

And now the rematch between A Tempting Dash and Freaky is on for the Champion of Champions.

A Tempting Dash's biggest win in 2009 was the Los Alamitos Winter Derby, a victory that came on the heels of the gelding's fifth place finish in the 2008 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Still owned by the VanAmburghs and Giambis and trained by Jaime Gomez at the time, A Tempting Dash won the Winter Derby in a near record clocking of :19.44. His time was only 1/100th of a second shy of A Mere Chocolate's record set in 2008. As a 2-year-old, A Tempting Dash posted the fastest drill ever recorded by a 2-year-old when stopping the clock in a time of :11.70. He also faced millionaires Tres Passes and Foose in the '08 Two Million. He broke his maiden in a Two Million trial.

Over the years, A Tempting Dash has done well from the rail. His win over Freaky in the Go Man Go came from post number one. In his first ever career start as a 2-year-old he ran from post one and later that year he finished second from that spot in an autumn outing. Bred by Muller Racing, A Tempting Dash is the first foal out of the stakes placed winner A Tempting Chick, who was honored as the 2009 AQHA Broodmare of the Year. She earned the awards thanks to the exploits of A Tempting Dash and also 2009 champion 2-year-old colt Tempting Dash, the winner of the Grade 1 Dash For Cash Futurity and Texas Classic Futurity. A Tempting Dash's second dam is the stakes winner Tempt Me Not and his family includes stakes winner Blushing Bug, staked placed winner Leaving Memories and stakes winners Lynns Allante and Make Em Blush.