A DASH OF SIGN IMPRESSIVE IN LOCAL DEBUT ON SUNDAY
As the trials to the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity approaches on Sunday, October 18, many juveniles made starts this past weekend at Los Alamitos Race Course in preparation for the trials. Among those trial hopefuls that race, a pair of winners stood out in the form of Reliance Ranches LLC’s A Dash Of Sign and Juniors Quarter Horses’ Bold Eagle.
Ridden by Oscar Peinado for trainer Mike Robbins, A Dash Of Sign enjoyed a winning local debut in Sunday’s fifth race at Los Alamitos, as she outdueled the well-regarded J Best Boogie to win the co-feature $12,240 allowance at 300 yards. Purchased for $125,000 at the 2019 Ruidoso Yearling Sale, A Dash Of Sign posted a neck victory in the race while covering the distance in :15.499.
A Dash Of Sign is an Oklahoma-bred filly by AQHA champion Tempting Dash and out of the outstanding mare A Tres Of Paint, who seven races and $509,184 in her racing career. During her 2-year-old campaign in 2015, A Tres Of Paint ran second in the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity and fifth in the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity. She also ran fourth in that year’s Texas Classic Futurity. A Tres Of Paint had an undefeated sophomore campaign, as she won all three of her starts including the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Derby in her final career start. The well-bred A Dash Of Sign won a stakes trial in her second career start before running sixth in the Remington Park Oklahoma-Bred Futurity. She raced at Ruidoso Downs in the summer before arriving at Los Alamitos to compete in the Golden State Million trials and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials on November 22.
Similarly, Jaime Gomez’s J Best Boogie will be pointed to those major trial races. In finishing second to A Dash Of Sign, J Best Boogie covered the distance in a time of :15.547 in her first start since a runner-up effort in her trial to the Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 7. Nonsense Colorado, Tellerineedtequila and Five Star Rock also raced in this allowance and are eligible to the Golden State Million trials.
In the sixth race on Sunday, the Monty Arrossa-trained Bold Eagle also enjoyed a winning local debut after breaking his maiden at 330 yards in :17.14. The gelding by One Famous Eagle was purchased for $58,000 at the Ruidoso Sale and arrived here after running in the Rocky Mountain Futurity at Arapahoe on July 11 and in a trial to the All American Futurity on August 22.
A few other nuggets from Sunday night’s card; leading Quarter Horse rider Jesus Rios Ayala piloted the 24-1 longshot Apolitical Glory JQM to victory in the third race. It’s not often that Rios Ayala is aboard horses sent off with such high odds, but Rios Ayala has a great working relationship with the horses’ co-owner, J. Francisco Diaz. Rios Ayala rode Chayito Cartel for the owner to victory in last year’s Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity….Brandon Chance Boulanger won the first two races on Sunday night, piloting Rebecca Novo-Normanly and Jerry Wallace’s Elemental in the first and Constantino Clarizio and Robert Lucas’ Older Brother in the second….In the $20,000 allowance co-feature, Blanchard, McCurdy, Paulson and Pitnick’s Sparkling Gem posted her third straight win at 1,000 yards when fighting off South Boot Shirley and Spectacular Storm to win the eighth and final. This was Sparkling Gem’s closest decision at this distance. Her previous two wins came with winning margins of five and two lengths. She broke her maiden when making her first start at the 1,000-yard distance. She won that race by seven lengths. Edgar Payeras piloted the winner for trainer Brian Pitnick.
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