IN MY HEART NOW A 2-TIME STAKES WINNER AFTER GO JOSIE GO

        In a race filled with stakes experienced fillies and mares, Gentry Farms’ In My Heart outdueled eight outstanding rivals to score the second stakes win in her career in Saturday’s $25,000 Go Josie Go Handicap at Los Alamitos.

       The 350-yard  Go Josie Go included five previous stakes winners as part of a field in which every runner had previously competed in a stakes race. In My Heart has competed in graded stakes and was a previous stakes winner as well, having won the Check Her Twice here on June 12.

       Now a two-time stakes winner, the 4-year-old mare by Apollitical Jess entered this race after running third to Jet Wings One in the AQHA ARC California Distance Challenge. In My Heart showed good early quickness in that race, a quality that she carried over to her start in the Go Josie Go.

        Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Juan Aleman, In My Heart was tremendous right from the start on Saturday, breaking on a neck ahead of the Grade 2 stakes placed mare Ms Ko before extending that lead to ½ lengths at the midway point. The Kentucky-homebred cruised home from there, finishing ¾ lengths ahead of Ms Ko and the surging Letty Cartel, a pair of distaffers who ended up dead-heating for second place. In My Heart covered the distance in :17.565. She earned $13,750 for her fifth win in 20 career starts.  She’s also approaching the $100,000 mark in career earnings. Her current bankroll now stands at $86,729.

        EG High Desert Farms’ Letty Cartel was part of a dead heat for her second race in a row. She tied for first with Astranomical in the Florentine Stakes on August 20. This time, she finished in a dead heat for second with Ms Ko in the Go Josie Go. Ridden by Irving Lara for trainer Santos Perez, the 4-year-old mare by Fast Prize Cartel earned $4,375 for her second-place finish. Erik Flores’ Ms Ko, a 6-year-old mare by Corona Cartel, added $4,375 to her bank account as well. Erasmo Gasca was up for trainer Jesus Nunez.  Jess Fortunate, Bizarrely, Budget Buster, Astranomical, Unavailable and Go To Girl completed the field. Jess Fortunate carried the silks of the late Mimi Wells in this race and delivered a fine effort, crossing the wire only ¾ lengths behind the runner-ups.

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