APOLLITICAL PATTY WITH ANOTHER BIG EFFORT TAKES THE LOS ALAMITOS OAKS

        Julianna Hawn Holt’s Apollitical Patty enjoyed another sensational and lucrative score thanks to a gate to wire two-length victory in the Grade 3, $427,500 Los Alamitos Oaks here on Saturday.

          The overwhelming favorite in this race at odds of 1-5, Apollitical Patty lived up to the big expectations, as the covered the 400 yards in the meet’s fastest time of :19.472 for jockey Armando Cervantes and trainer Monty Arrossa. The filly wasn’t perfect, as broke to the inside leaving the gate, but she was like a rocket from there, on the way to a runaway daylight win over stablemate Aint She Tempting.

          Ridden by Armando Cervantes for trainer Monty Arrossa, Apollitical Patty lived up to all expectations, as she covered the 400 yards in the meet’s fastest time of :19.472 from the outside post 10. Apollitical Patty has just been quicker, faster, and sharper than her competition, and by all accounts she is improving with each start.  

          “She’s getting better,” Cervantes said after the race. “She’s getting better at the gate, getting better at everything. She does have a little teensy problem in that every time she tries to go in. I always correct her, but honestly, she is outstanding. She’s amazing. My heart was just beating. I was just so happy. I was just like ‘Get it, get it, get it.’ She’s just awesome, honestly.”

          The filly by Apollitical Blood came into this race after winning her trial by 3 ½ lengths while setting the top qualifying time of :19.553. That impressive debut followed her victory in California’s richest horse race of 2020, the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, which she won by a half-length in a time of :19.56.

          The key, Cervantes says, is her improvement in the starting gate.

          “It’s the gate,” he added. “I was a little scared, but she went in there and boom, we left. She left running. She went a little bit in, but I corrected her and hand-rode her. That was it.”

          Bred by the late Jim Walker, she has now won eight of 10 career starts and her earnings of $179,550 in the Oaks made her Quarter Horse racing’s newest millionaire with $1,077,042 in her bank account. Her only loses have come in the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity on November 1 when sixth to AQHA champion 2-year-old gelding Apollitical Gold after getting fractious and when second to Tres A Jess in the Los Alamitos Juvenile Challenge Stakes on August 15.    

          “She had a little bit of kidney infection (in the Juvenile),” Arrossa said. “We found out after when she didn’t perform. She ran so good, she worked so good early. When she didn’t perform as well, we ran some blood on her and found she had a kidney infection. Once we got that clear, she’s pretty much has been a monster.

“I think she’s better. She’s continued to improve. I have to give credit to our barn here. Jessie Castillo is my assistant, and he gallops here. He’s done a great job getting her mind right at the track. Her groom, Alvaro Diaz, has spent so much time with her, getting her calm and quiet. My guys in Idaho, they broke her and did a fantastic job. Romero Fregoso runs my operation in Idaho. When he sent her down here to me last year, he said ‘She’s fast, she can run.’ We don’t get high on our 2-year-olds, but when he told me that she was nice that was a good sign.”

          Apollitical Patty, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Zoomin For Spuds, is eligible to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby and the Grade 2 Southern California Derby.

          “We’ll have to talk with Ms. Holt and her farm manager, Benny Greathouse,”  Arrossa added. “Benny has been absolutely fantastic to work with. We’ll have to see how she comes out of this. The (filly) is very sound. We may look at something in Ruidoso. We might look at the All American Derby. The Super Derby is the next that she’s paid into.”      

          Arrossa gave Apollitical Patty some time for R & R recently and another vacation may be in her future as well.

          “We gave her a little bit of a break after the Two Million,” he said. “We have some outside pens and we let her out during the days and then at nights. We’ll probably do the same with her and Aint She Tempting. We’ll give them a little bit of a break (now) to let them be outside, some down time.”

          And when did Arrossa notice significant improvement from Apollitical Patty in the starting gate? 

          “After the Two Million, after we gave her that break,” he said. “The time off, being outside, she got to sunbathe. After that she came back, she matured a lot, and the gate crew at Los Alamitos has spent a lot of extra time with her. She’s just progressively gotten sharper and sharper. I was proud of her in the trials. She false broke, but she handled that phenomenally. We’ve had her back to gate twice since the trials and both time she was very professional. She’s just been fantastic.”

          Hawn Holt acquired Apollitical Patty from the Walker Family Trust after her victory in the Two Million. Hawn Holt also purchased Aint She Tempting from Levings Racing and Dunn Ranch after she qualified to the Two Million final. Sired by Tempting Dash and out of Preslee The First, Aint She Tempting earned $72,675 for her solid runner-up effort in the Oaks. Jose Nicasio rode Aint She Tempting from post seven. 

          “I love Aint She Tempting,” Arrossa said. “She’s got a great mind. Tonight, coming up to the paddock, I thought she was on her toes. She looked great to me.” 

          Parsons Family Limited Partnership’s Terrific Temper earned $51,300 for running third. A three-length winner in the trials, she was ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Chris O’Dell.

          The top three finishers were followed by Leah Carroll, Diva On Fire, Comaneci, La Estrella Corona, Up For You, Expedited, and In My Heart.

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