LOS ALAMITOS STAKES WINNERS RECOGNIZED AS AQHA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The American Quarter Horse Association announced its national champions with several Los Alamitos stakes winners being recognized led by Martha Wells’ Tell Cartel, who was named champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old colt. The son of Favorite Cartel out of Chicks Tell was a three-time derby winner at the Orange County oval in 2020 with his victories coming in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby, Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and the Grade 3 El Primero Del Año Derby.
Tell Cartel made the most starts of any champion during the year, winning half of his 10 starts, with three additional placings, and earning $717,751 while earning the titles of champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old colt. Racing for breeder and owner Martha Wells, the Favorite Cartel colt out of the Chicks Beduino mare Chicks Tell won the Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1), Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) and El Primero Del Ano Derby (G3), and he was second in the Champion of Champions (G1). He was trained by Matt Fales, and ridden by Ruben Lozano, Eduardo Nicasio and Jesus Ayala. Tell Cartel will now go to stallion duty at Fales Ranch in Arizona.
“It was a dream that I never could dream of,” said Wells of owning a colt like Tell Cartel. “I just want to thank (Ralph and Carrie Fales), who kind of took me in under their wing when (late husband Dwayne Wells) died. I just kept breeding. Favorite Cartel at Burns Ranch… I just kept breeding Chicks Tell to him. I have Matt Fales as trainer and he’s only 32, but he’s really good. We work together and we are all a family. I’m so proud and delighted.”
Wells was named the AQHA champion owner, her first national title as owner.
“She’s been in this 49 years, that’s how long she’s been working at this,” said Wells, son, David Wells.
“After they’re weaned, I take them back to my house and that’s when I can handle them every day,” Wells said about her horses. “When we started breaking Tell Cartel, he just never did anything wrong. He is the sweetest horse in the whole world. My trainer didn’t urge me to geld him.”
Apollitical Gold took his run everywhere he went to earn his champion 2-year-old gelding title. Racing for breeder Grant R. Cox Revocable Trust, the son of Apollitical Jess out of SRC Gold by PYC Paint Your Wagon won four of nine starts, with two seconds and three thirds. He earned $972,659. His key efforts included a victory in the Golden State Million Futurity (G1) at Los Alamitos and third-place finishes in the All American Futurity (G1) and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1). He was trained by Eddie Willis and was ridden by Justine Klaiber, Jimmy Brooks and Cody Smith. Willis was also recognized as the AQHA champion trainer.
Michael Pohl and Martin Stacy’s homebred Curls Happy Wagon is the champion aged mare. She won half of her six starts during the year, earning $145,822, and won the Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1) and Las Damas Handicap (G2) here plus the Decketta Stakes (G2). The 5-year-old mare is by PYC Paint Your Wagon and out of the Spit Curl Jess mare Eye A Spit Curl Girl. She was trained by Stacy Charette-Hill and Juan Aleman and ridden by Armando Cervantes and Jorge Torres.
James Flores was named champion jockey for the second straight year. Bobby Cox was named the champion breeder. The Cox-bred Whistle Stop Cafe, the winner of the All American Futurity, was named AQHA World Champion, which is Quarter Horse racing’s title for Horse of the Year. She joins only Laico Bird before her as a 2-year-old filly who earned the world champion title. Laico Bird earned her title in 1967. This past year, Whistle Stop Cafe was undefeated in six starts, earning $1,974,986. She was also the champion 2-year-old and champion 2-year-old filly.
The full list of divisional champions is available at 2020 Racing Champions - AQHA
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