48 IN GREAT NIGHT OF FUTURITY TRIALS SUNDAY AT LOS ALAMITOS
Forty-eight freshman sprinters will compete for one of the 10 spots up for grabs to the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity on Sunday at Los Alamitos. Ten races are scheduled for this evening with the 350-yard trials scheduled as races five through 10.
The horses with the 10 fastest times in the trials will advance to the futurity final to be held on Sunday, October 3. The final will be held as part of the festivities during the weekend of the Los Alamitos Equine Sale.
The opening trial of the night will be headed by the late running FG Jess Seis for Dutch Masters III and top trainer Jaime Gomez. The gelding by Tres Seis has won three of his four career starts with his only blemish being a troubled eighth in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity on May 16. FG Jess Seis’ last start was a 3/4 length allowance win on June 27. Oscar Peinado will ride the Gary and Linda Gordon-bred sprinter.
His rivals in this race include Robyn Gordon, Juan H. Moya and S-Quarter K LLC’s Dasha Good Reason (left), a winner in his first three starts before running fifth in the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge. Erasmo Gasca, who piloted the Washington-bred colt by Good Reason SA to victory on May 30, gets the return call on Dasha Good Reason. This good group of freshman sprinters will include Reliance Ranches LLC’s Love Ballad, who arrived here from Ruidoso Downs, and Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity winner Woman Secrets.
J. Francisco Diaz’s Mookie and Ed Allred’s Hitters Count are among the multiple winners that will compete in the second division of the trials. Mookie arrives after a daylight win against allowance foes on July 25 while Hitters Count won her first three career starts, including the Fred Scane Memorial, before running fourth to Race Thru The Fire in the California Breeders Freshman Stakes for Fillies.
The third division is among the strongest of the night led by Bruce and Jill Thompson’s Run By Your Cartel, who was sixth in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity earlier this year, Ruidoso Downs returnee Griffindore, and El Tio Angel, whose connections declined a chance at a $37,000 payout to run him in these trials. Owned and trained by Felix Gonzalez, El Tio Angel was the fastest qualifier to the August 23 Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity, but Gonzalez said no to running him back in the $55,000 final to save him for this race.
“He would have been claimed and that thorn would have stuck with me for a long time,” Gonzalez said.
Steve Burns’ Race Thru The Fire defeated Kindergarten finalist La Blue Amore and The Plan Handicap winner Hopefulblue to take home the Freshman Stakes. The filly by freshman stallion Fly Thru The Fire scored at 14-1 on that night, and now faces a very competitive and evenly matched group of sprinters in the fourth division. Amadeus MV will look to rock out in this trial.
Theresa and Edward DeNike’s Sweet Tess is among the headliners in the fifth division after a lightning quick gate work on August 14 when traveling 220 yards in :12.10. One of her toughest foes could be the maiden Precysion, who finished nicely in his last start for owner Cesar Nunez and trainer Valentin Zamudio.
The final trial will feature the second and third place finishers in the Governor’s Cup Futurity held on July 31. Allred’s Watch Out was the runner-up in final to Allred’s She Goes Up, while Five Livestock Company and Steve Wright’s Favorite Honey was third after leaving the gate fifth. He was an impressive daylight winner in the trials to the Governor’s Cup. In addition to these trials, the fourth race on Sunday is an allowance event led by 2020 stakes winners Constituent and Teller With Candy.
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