LARC NEWS Posted: 4/10/2021 12:56:25 AM

PARTNERSHIP ENJOYS A PAIR OF DEBUT WINNERS

PLUS TWO OTHER YOUNG RUNNERS POST STRONG EFFORTS

        Strength In Numbers is the name of a tremendous Grade 1 stakes winning mare that trainer Paul Jones campaigned in the early 2000s. Strength in numbers is also what Jones has in the ownership group composed of Jimmy and Marilyn Harrel, Thompson Racing LLC, Robyn Gordon and Bradbury Racing. This group of notable owners has come together to own several highly promising 2-year-olds with two of them already shining brightly at Los Alamitos on Friday night.

          The first win for the group came with Majority Interest (left), a filly by Seperate Interest out of the AQHA Dam of Distinction Remember Me Rose. Purchased for $57,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, the Steve Burns-bred debutante scored a half-length victory in a 300-yard dash in a time of :15.885. Majority Interest in a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Powerful Favorite and Runforyourlife.

          A race later, the group of Harrell, Thompson Racing and Gordon returned to the winner’s circle after their $120,000 purchase Griffindore pulled away in the second half of his 300-yard race to score a 1 ½ length win while under wraps across the wire in a time of :15.931. Sired by Corona Cartel, Griffindore is out of Little Surfer, which makes him a full-brother to champion and Rainbow Futurity winner Uncle D, who is now standing at stud at Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma.  

          “He ran a nice race,” Terry Thompson said of Griffindore. “He kind of broke in a little bit and never really had a chance to unleash what he can show. Jimmy did a great job at Heritage picking this horse out. He called me up and wanted to partner up and we did along with Robyn Gordon. Hopefully, (Griffindore) does well.”

          “What caused me to go look at this horse is that he is a full-brother to Uncle D, which in (2019) won champion 2-year-old colt,” Harrel said. “ I went and looked at him and really liked and Paul really liked him as well. Paul said this was the best one he got to buy at Heritage since Big Daddy Cartel. What I liked about him tonight is that he lugged in, was tied all the way, but he got loose the last six to eight jumps. He was really extending, and (jockey) Ramon Sanchez still held him. He didn’t let him go full out, which he didn’t need to do tonight. We think he will (turn a higher gear). We expect him to from what we’ve seen in his works.”

          Griffindore is from the racing stock of breeders McCole Land & Livestock LLC.

          “The Ed Burke looks like it’ll probably be his next start going forward,” Thompson added. “He’ll have a little bit of a break before the Ed Burke. He’s paid up to the races at Ruidoso, but we’ll kind of play it by ear and see what happens. We’re happy as we can be after his first start. I’m trying to ride out Jimmy’s luck, you know. We have got a partnership here and have a couple of them, along with Robyn (and Bradbury Racing). We should have some fun.”      

          In addition to the two 300-yard events, the card also feature a pair of 220-yard dashes for 2-year-olds. Ricardo Ramirez and Silver Racing Farm LLC’s Good Reason To Run outdueled Haras Portofino’s talented filly New York Teller MRL by a neck in the first of juvenile race of the evening followed by Mike Tillemans’ Red Hot Topic returning for his second career start to win at 220 yards by a half-length.

          Sired by Good Reason SA and out of Secret Separation, Good Reason To Run showed a tremendous late kick in her gate drill back on March 20. She finished strongly here once again to win her debut in a time of :12.159, which is one of the meet’s fastest by a 2-year-old thus far. Cruz Mendez piloted her for trainer Jose Flores.

          “We took her down to Ruidoso and put her in the sale,” Flores said. “We really liked her and thought she would bring a lot more than she did. We ended up buying her back. Mr. Ramirez later bought half of her from Silver Racing Farm. I think it’s working out pretty good. We really like her and we’re high on her. Hopefully she can stay sound and keep her in this kind of path.

          “She’s in the Ed Burke. Her first trial will be in the Ed Burke Million Futurity. If we can get her in a winners race, which I think there might be in about three weeks or a month we’ll give her another out. That’ll give her about three-four weeks until the trials to the Ed Burke. This was like her second workout. She’s improving.”

          Ridden by Henry Reynoso Lopez for trainer Felix Gonzalez, Red Hot Topic won his 220-yard race in a time of :12.199. The colt by Fly Thru The Fire out of the dam Foo Fighter, Red Hot Topic came into this race after finishing a troubled fourth in his debut against the well-regarded Hez Our Secret runner Mookkie.

***

       Eight races are on tap this Saturday night, including three more races for 2-year-olds. Racing fans looking to attend the live action on track can purchase tickets online at LosAlamitos.com. The direct link to the ticket site is RACE TRACK PROMO (losalamitos.com).

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