BALLAST POINT WINS SNOWBOUND SUPERSTAR FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

   Paul Jones and Thompson Racing Inc’s Ballast Point won the $20,000 Snowbound Superstar Handicap for the second straight year after posting a wire-to-wire victory over a quality field in the 870-yard race on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Ramon Guce, who is currently the overall leading rider at the current meeting at Los Alamitos, Ballast Point took advantage of his early speed to take a length lead from post position number four. The Jones-trainee extended his lead around the turn and then shook loose down the straightaway to cross the wire 2 ½ lengths ahead of Paul Girdner and Christopher Drakos’ talented Thoroughbred Restoring Dreams, who came into this race after running third at Del Mar on November 7.

Ballast Point, a 4-year-old gelding by Favorite Cartel out of Fall For It, has been the top 870-yard Quarter Horse on the west coast for the past two years. He has now won six out of his last seven starts at this distance since October of 2019. His purple patch includes a dominant four-length win in one of two divisions to the Snowbound Superstar last year and a game victory in this year’s Trick Or Treat Handicap here on Halloween Night. His only loss at this distance during this span was a runner-up effort to Sokudo in the Harbor Beach Handicap on March 14. He avenged that loss here, as he defeated Sokudo in this race.

Bred by Steve Burns, Ballast Point covered the distance in :44.972 and while adding $11,000 for the win to his bank account. For his career, Ballast Point has won seven of 19 starts with career earnings of $78,385.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado for trainer Ryan Hanson, Restoring Dreams was fifth during the early going before finishing with power to earn $4,500 for his runner-up effort. The 3-year-old gelding by Candy Ride posted back-to-back 1,000-yard wins at Los Alamitos prior to his solid outing at Del Mar. With this effort, his career earnings now stand at $65,980. Sokudo, Loan Sharky, JB Gray Dawn and Run Factor completed the field.

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