Parsons Ranch’s Valantini had an eye-catching workout on April 4 in preparation for her racing debut on Friday at Los Alamitos. The filly by Hes Relentless and out of the multiple derby finalist Valiant Energy posted a time of :12.40 in her 220-yard drill, but her gallop out after the wire showed a runner with the potential of a strong finish, especially at the Friday’s 300-yard distance.     

            Trained by Chris O’Dell and ridden by Eduardo Nicasio, Valantini’s debut was outstanding, as she was quick out the gate and led from gate to wire on the way to posting a winning time of :15.804.

            “We like her a lot,” O’Dell said. “I’m very high on Hes Relentless and she’s a granddaughter of (Grade 1 winner) Terrific Energy. That makes her breeding really nice.  She is one that we expected to run nicely. Hopefully, we have a few more next week.”

            O’Dell trained Terrific Energy, the winner of the Charger Bar Handicap and Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap in 2009. She earned $174,393. Her sons and daughters have included graded stakes winners like Thermonuclear Energy, Terrific Synergy and Terrific First Down. Terrific Energy’s daughters, like Valiant Energy, are now ready to see their sons and daughters shine. Valantini is eligible to race in this year’s trials to the Golden State Million Futurity and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and in next year’s Los Alamitos Oaks.

            EG High Desert Farms’ Sweet Dalila, a filly by One Sweet Jess out of Ed Burke Million finalist First Magical Dash, ran second while Diva On Fire, a full-sister to champion Jess Walkin Thru, ran third.

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            Owned by the partnership of Rafael Becerra, Corey LaRusso and Gregory Yamamoto, the Street Boss colt Promise Nothing (photo) won the first 1,000-yard race ever contested at Los Alamitos. The California-bred Thoroughbred took the lead around the final turn and was never challenged from there while scoring a 2 ½ length victory with Eduard Kennis Rojas aboard. Promise Nothing earned $6,875 for the win.

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The handle for the nine-race card was a track record figure for a night program of $2,466,567 Friday at Los Alamitos. It was the first time that the handle had gone over the $2.4 million mark for a night program at Orange County track. The previous all-sources mark of $2,379,112 was set during the 13-race AQHA Racing Challenge Championship Night on Saturday, November 1, 2003.