CYBER ATTACK TOPS GOLDEN STATE MILLION TRIALS, GRADE 1 WINNER PARTY POLITICS AMONG QUALIFIERS
Making his first start since a troubled second in the Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity, Rosenthal Ranch’s Cyber Attack posted the most impressive win of the night in route to the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1, $1,087,250 Golden State Million Futurity on Sunday at Los Alamitos.
Cyber Attack (left) will be joined by his full sister, Temple Court, in the Golden State Million final on October 30, as she was also a trial winner on this night, and the owner of the fourth fastest qualifying time. The two juveniles were sired by Favorite Cartel and out of the AQHA Dam of Distinction, Remember Me Rose. Other runners from this royal family include Runforyourlife, winner of the Golden State Million Futurity in 2019, and Bomb Cyclone, winner of last year’s Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Rosenthal Ranch campaigned both Runforyourlife and Bomb Cyclone, as well multiple Grade 1 winner Powerful Favorite, who is still competing at the highest of levels as the age of 6.
“You know the family,” said Chris O’Dell, who saddled Cyber Attack to the top qualifying time on Sunday. “They have success. They are like always. What a great horse. (Cyber Attack) grabbed a quarter real bad in the Rainbow and that’s why he’s been off so long. I’ve been trying to grow out his foot a little bit. It takes time to get that done. That’s why he didn’t get to go in the All American Futurity trials. We’re excited. We know there’s talent there. We’ve just been trying to manage him correctly. It’s fun to bring one out here like him.”
Ridden by Eduardo Nicasio, Cyber Attack won the 10th of 12 trials in a time of :19.604, which was about 1/10ths of a second faster than Bobby Cox’s Jeriko, who posted the second fastest qualifying time. Bred by Burns Ranch, Cyber Attack won his trial by 2 ¼ lengths while picking up his second win in four starts.
“He broke really good,” O’Dell said. “This track is a little different than Ruidoso. He kind of wondered a little bit but he ran an awesome race. We’re so happy.”
Burns Ranch owns the filly Temple Court (left), who won the sixth trial, also by daylight. Ridden by Jose Nicasio for trainer Mike Casselman, Temple Score was ahead by 1 ¾ lengths in this trial, while covering the distance in :19.932.
“I’m very happy for the Burns Family that Temple Court ran so well,” O’Dell said. “I haven’t gotten my hands on a filly (from that family) and I would like to. That’s a beautiful filly they have. She’s gorgeous. What a combination of Favorite Cartel and Remember Me Rose.”
Thanks to his impressive trial win, Cyber Attack is the likely favorite in the Golden State Million final. The colt will have to deal with a field that will also feature Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity winner Party Politics, Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes winner Hay Shaker, and Ed Burke finalist Apollitical Jet.
Meanwhile, the second fastest qualifying time of :19.705 belonged to the Heath Taylor-trained Jeriko, who is now a three-time winner from his four career starts. The gelding by One Famous Eagle arrived via Ruidoso Downs after winning his trial to the All American Futurity by 1 ½ lengths. He also won a trial to the Rainbow Futurity and was third in the $100,000 Rainbow Juvenile Invitational.
“I was really pleased with the horse,” Taylor said. “He had shown good talent. He never had a race here and never had a race at night. I almost worked him between the races at night, but I decided just to give him a light breeze in the morning. I was impressed with the way the horse finished tonight. He stood well in the gate. I thought his first 100 yards were a little rusty, not sloppy, but it seemed like it took him a little while to get going. He seemed like to me that the last 200 yards he really was finishing strong. It’ll be a star-studded cast in the final and I hope he comes back and takes another step forward and improves. However, being the first race, the first race for myself with the horse you hop to learn a little bit about the horse. You mainly hope to get in the final. We’re pleased with his effort.”
Ridden by Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo, Jeriko (right) won his trial by 2 ½ lengths. Taylor is also working on a game plan to have Jeriko at optimum performance for the final.
“Mostly just keep him happy, full, keep his weight,” said Taylor when asked about plans for Jeriko between now and the final. “We’ll probably stand him some and school him in the gate. I thought he was well behaved in the gate tonight, just thought he could break a little big sharper. I might take him (to the track) a time or two really early in the morning when the lights are on out there for an hour or an hour and a half in the morning and just give him a little experience under the lights. The main thing is just to keep him happy.”
Jaime Gomez’s Hay Shaker recorded the third fastest time about winning the ninth trial by a neck over Apollitical Jet in a time of :19.928. Gomez claimed Hay Shaker won the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity on August 21 and was also claimed for $12,500.
“This is one of the luckiest claims I’ve ever had,” Gomez said. “Who would have believed I would qualify with the third fastest time so far. I call it good luck. There were 19 claims on this horse and we happened to win the shake. I feel happy and lucky. I’ve put him in an outside pen. They said he was a little nervous. He’s been a good horse. I’ve claimed a lot of horses over the years, but I can’t remember claiming one like this one and qualified to a big race. He’s my best claim so far.”
Oscar Peinado piloted Hay Shaker.
The fifth fastest qualifying time was posted by Grant Cox Revocable Trust’s Flash of Gold, a half-brother to 2020 Golden State Million winner Apollitical Gold. Ridden by Jimmy Dean Brooks for trainer Eddie Willis, Flash of Gold won his trial in the fifth fastest time of :19.934.
“He’s been one of dad’s favorites all year,” said Kasey Willis, who is the son of 2020 AQHA champion trainer Eddie Willis. “(We’ve) finally figured out (Flash Of Gold). He had a rough spring and a little bit of a rough summer just with sickness. He’s getting right. That horse can really run. That’s the first time he’s gotten to go to the front and show off. He has room to improve, which he’ll have to do.”
JAG Racing Stables’ Party Politics made a winning return in trial number four, his first start since his big score in the Ed Burke Million final. Ramon Sanchez rode the son of Apollitical Jess to the eight fastest time of :19.962. Juan Aleman trains the J. Garvan Kelly-bred runner. Aleman’s family campaigns the Grade 1 winning Oklahoma-bred gelding.
“He needed the race,” Aleman said. “He’s been off over four months. If you do right by them, give them time off they come back. He ran a big race and he needed that race.”
Party Politics came into this race after posting a 350-yard gate work on September 20.
“If you see the (prep) work, he was under wraps,” Aleman added. “I told Ramon, ‘Let’s just let him go down the track, get some air in his lungs.’ We didn’t want him to break because we had to come back and run in the trials. I told him go nice and easy and not blow him out. It was a breeze.”
William Smith’s Political Royalty was second to Cyber Attack in trial 10, but her time was more than enough to qualify with the sixth fastest time. Smith purchased the McColee Land & Livestock-bred filly for $250,000 at the Heritage Place September Sale last year. The Quarter Company’s Apollitical Jet qualified to his second futurity with a million-dollar purse. From the barn of trainer Valentin Zamudio, Apollitical Jet was second to Hay Shaker in the trials.
The final two qualifiers both raced in the opening trial of the night. P&J Racing Ltd.’s AJ Born Runnin won the trial by a neck over Zynda Racing’s Wasting Light. AJ Born Runnin is a homebred filly by Apollitical Jess and out of Runaway Trs Seis. Wasting Light is also a homebred, as he was sired by The Marfa Lights and out of local stakes winner Foo Who, the winner of the 2016 Denim N Diamonds Handicap here. Foo Who was campaigned by Michael Zynda at Los Alamitos. Zynda worked at TVG and also in the Los Alamitos Race Course Publicity Department before moving on to write, produce, and direct documentaries.
Here’s the complete list of qualifiers to the Golden State Million Futurity: Cyber Attack (:19.604), Jeriko (:19.705), Hay Shaker (:19.928), Temple Court (:19.932), Flash Of Gold (:19.934), Political Royalty (:19.950), Apollitical Jet (:19.954), Party Politics (:19.962), Aj Born Runnin (:19.971), and Wasting Light (:20.022).
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