FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    
JANUARY 3, 2009

CONTACT LOS ALAMITOS PUBLICITY
714-820-2690

YOUNG MARE'S TERRIFIC FINISH DECIDES CHARGER BAR

LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA... It was redemption
accomplished for both Terrific Energy and Miss Kittys Bar
Bet, as the newly turned 4-year-old mares battled gamely on
the way to finishing first and second in the Grade 1 $100,00
Charger Bar Handicap on Saturday at Los Alamitos. Owned by
Parsons Family Trust, Terrific Energy was the big winner in
the first Grade 1 race of the meet after edging Dr. Steve
Burns' Miss Kittys Bar Bet by a nose in the 400-yard race. 
    
     Terrific Energy and Miss Kittys Bar Bet met for the
first time in a trial to the Southern California Derby on
November 28, with Terrific Energy defeating her rival while
posting the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1 derby.
Unfortunately their rematch never materialized in the final,
as they were both scratched for very different reasons.
Terrific Energy bled during her trial effort was not able to
run in the final, while Miss Kittys Bar Bet broke through the
gate, got loose and ran down the track and was scratched as
well. 
 
    On the night of the Charger Bar there was no more bad
luck for either of the young mares. Miss Kittys Bar Bet left
the gate "in lights out fashion" according to her trainer
Hector Jaime Hernandez and only a monster rally by Terrific
Energy prevented her from winning the race. Terrific Energy,
meanwhile, was recording her third straight victory for
trainer Chris O'Dell while moving her lifetime mark to five
wins in nine starts. In winning her stakes debut, the
daughter of Mr Jess Perry earned $50,000 to take her career
earnings to $75,130. Ridden by Jeff Jerman, who was piloting
his first winner in an unrestricted Grade 1 race at Los
Alamitos, Terrific Energy covered the distance in a quick
:19.70.
     
     "She broke really good tonight," Jerman said. "Last
time in the derby trials Chris reminded me that sometimes
this filly doesn't break sharply. She surprised me because
she left the gate super. She closed great tonight but she was
always in second or third place the entire way."

     Jerman was thrilled to see Terrific Energy bounce back
after her setback in the trials. "I was surprised when she
bled because she really came on strong in that race," he
added. "When I pulled her up she coughed and I knew right
then what had happened. She had to work to get off the vet
list after but I was in Texas when she had that workout. Cody
Jensen worked her for me, so I have to buy Cody a dinner."

      Terrific Energy's victory also came at a perfect time
for her connections that had endured a difficult last 24
hours. 

       "The Parsons lost Mini Rock last night," O'Dell said.
"She was carrying a baby. They also lost a recipient mare who
also carrying a Mini Rock baby. They lost all those horses
last night. After that, they really needed some good news so
I'm glad that Terrific Energy came through for them. We felt
pretty good about her tonight."

        Trained by Blane Schvaneveldt during her racing
career, Mini Rock won the Charger Bar Handicap in 2005. Owned
and bred by the late Jay Parsons, Mini Rock won 12 of 35
starts in her career, earning $474,387 in the process. A
seven-time stakes winner, Mini Rock was the AQHA champion age
mare in '05. 

        "She had been battling cancer," O'Dell said. "We
were hoping she would make it until April. She does have a
yearling by FDD Dynasty so we do have that to look forward to
but you hate to lose a good one like Mini Rock." 

     It's been a very emotional week at Los Alamitos because
of the loss of jockey Sam Thompson, with O'Dell being one of
the many that were very close to the talented rider. "He was
my buddy," he said. "When I saw a photo of him smiling with
his arm around me after we won the Bayer Legend California
Challenge with Furyofthewind, it was tough to stay composed.
He will be missed." 

     Ridden by Rodrigo Aceves, Miss Kittys Bar Bet exploded
out of the gate and had a neck advantage over Terrific Energy
early on. Halfway through the race, the daughter of Sum Fun
To Bet led by a half-length.
  
     "I thought we had it won when she was so far ahead,"
Hernandez said. "I was so excited that my heart was beating
at 9,000 beats per second. Even at the finish line I thought
we had held on. It was a great race. It was nice to see both
of those fillies redeem themselves after they couldn't race
in the derby final (on December 14). When she broke through
the gate that was just bad luck. She got anxious and that
sometimes happens to her. She's like that sometimes. She's
just the type that gets fired up when she goes to the
racetrack. The flipping halter does help her though."

      The word is still out as to when the two fillies will
race next at Los Alamitos. Miss Kittys Bar Bet earned $17,000
for running second to take her career earnings to $261,981.
She raced only three times as a sophomore last season after a
highly productive freshman season that saw her run third in
the Kindergarten and Ed Burke Million futurities and eighth
in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Terrific Energy,
meanwhile, only made three starts as a freshman, breaking her
maiden in her last start of 2007. She was bred to FDD Dynasty
in 2008.
    
       J. Garvan Kelly, Nancy Yearsley and J.L. Yother's
Answer The Dream earned $10,000 for running in third place.
The Tres Seis mare is now less than $6,000 away from making
$200,000 in her career. Answer The Dream ran second in the La
Primera Del Ano Derby, third in the Los Alamitos Super Derby
and fourth in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby last season. 

      The Blane Schvaneveldt-trained duo of Royal Motions
and Just Dash finished fourth and fifth in the Charger Bar.
Strength In Numbers, winner of the Las Damas Handicap last
season, finished sixth. Prissy B Panther, Blazin Fire,
Spanish Cartel and 2007 Charger Bar winner What A Performance
completed the field. 

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