HIGHLY REGARDED JUVENILE BOARDWALK WINS DEBUT SATURDAY AT LOS ALAMITOS
Owned and bred by Ed Allred, the Favorite Cartel colt Boardwalk was one of the top yearlings offered at the 2022 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. By the end of the Equine Sale, Boardwalk went back home to Allred’s Rolling A Ranch after Allred repurchased him for $270,000.
A full brother to 2022 All American Futurity runner-up Sicario V and graded futurity winners Monopolist and Frivolous, Boardwalk showed why he was so highly sought after at the Equine Sale in his racing debut on Saturday night at Los Alamitos. Racing from post number one, Boardwalk broke cleanly under leading rider Jesus Rios Ayala. He was third at the start before taking command shortly after takeoff in the 220 yard race. By the midway point, Boardwalk was on the lead and while he did drift out, he finished strongly to score a head victory over Bradbury Racing, Thomas Bradbury, Jr., and Lisa Beauprez’s KVN Corona filly Talk Bout Somethin. Boardwalk covered the distance in :12.17 for trainer Scott Willoughby.
“I’m impressed with him,” Willoughby said of his trainee. “He showed a lot of class. He still got away from the rail a little bit. He’s still green, but that’s what we expected. We have to work on that a little bit. We have a little time going into the (trials) to the Ed Burke Million Futurity (on May 28). We’ll see how he comes back. He’ll tell us if whether we need to or not (give him another start).”
Boardwalk’s dam is the stakes winner Nymph, a multiple stakes winner for Allred at Los Alamitos with over $73,000 in earnings. Nymph’s mother is Elans Last, who is a daughter of the millionaire and All American Futurity winner Elans Special. Boardwalk had shown precocity well before his racing debut. He posted the fastest of 44 works on March 25 and had the fifth fastest of 39 works on March 9. He’ll now begin prepping for the trials to the million-dollar Ed Burke.
Next Sunday night, Los Alamitos will host trials to the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity at 300 yards. Eighty eight juveniles remain eligible to the Kindergarten with that list featuring a slew of maiden winners at Los Alamitos. This group of winners include Choosen One, Hez Lonesome, Cloud Burst, Heza Good Reason, Moms Legacy, Kevins Knockout, My Kind Of Lover, Political Rivalry, Think Again Kev, Fireplace, and Wayward Vixen.
TRACK RECORD HOLDER DUTTON WINS 2023 LOCAL DEBUT
Vicki Potter’s Dutton, the track record holder at Los Alamitos at 1,000 yards, scored a hard-fought victory on Saturday night in what was his first start at the Orange County since his record setting performance back on December 4. Ridden by Cesar Ortega for trainer Lorenzo Ruiz, the Noosito Thoroughbred won the 1,000 yard event by a neck over the fast closing Proud Veteran. His winning time of :52.845 was shy of his record mark here of :51.514, but it was still good enough to earn him his third straight win at Los Alamitos.
“I thought that he was going to be able to open up a little farther in front,” Ruiz said. “We still got it done. We had to sweat that one, but he got it done. I thought (Ortega) made the right move by taking Sigur Ros out a little bit, but at the same time that left an opening for the one horse (Proud Veteran) who was closing good.”
Known for his blazing early speed, Dutton had a two length lead early on before the stakes winning Sigur Ros rushed to challenge him at the far bend. Dutton was able to fend off that challenge through the stretch and had enough left to keep Proud Veteran at bay. Dutton earned $11,250 for the win. His connections are hoping that he eventually earns enough money to be eligible to race in the $50,000 Summer Finals at 1,000 yards.
“That’s what we are hoping for,” Ruiz said. “That’s the goal, to get enough point for the Summer final.”
Currently, Margaret Sherr’s Giant’s Brite Eye is the leader in points for the Summer Final after winning the opening race on the Saturday card. For the meet, the Charles Treece-trained Giant’s Brite Eye has earned $28,307 with $8,800 coming from his win on Saturday. Each dollar earned in a race at 1,000 yards at Los Alamitos equals a point in the standings. The horses with the 10 highest number of points earned by June 11 advance to the $50,000 Summer Final. There will also be a $40,000 Final on June 18 for the top 10 distaffers in points earned at 1,000 yards. Quarter Horses are preferred in both Summer Finals.
-30-