LARC NEWS Posted: 5/13/2023 11:10:21 PM

DUAL GRADE 1 WINNER PARTY POLITICS WINS EL PRIMERO REMATCH TO TAKE DILLINGHAM HANDICAP

     JGA Racing Stables’ Party Politics, the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association champion 2-year-old gelding last year, posted his first stakes win in his sophomore season after a strong finish in the $30,000 Dillingham Handicap at 400 yards on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

      Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Juan Aleman, Party Politics bumped at the start, but he picked up speed quickly, accelerated from there, and went on to score a neck victory over multiple graded stakes finalist Mahomes Magic. The top three finishers in this race entered the Dillingham after running the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby. In the El Primero, the order of finish was Hes Chickless followed by Party Politics and Mahomes Magic. In the Dillingham, Party Politics and Mahomes Magic finished 1-2 with Hes Chickless completing the top three.

      For Aleman, the key to victory was making sure that Party Politics close to contention right away. The winner of the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity last year, Party Politics had finished second in each of his previous three starts.   

     “He just had some horrible starts, stumbling out of the gate,” Aleman said. “Tonight, he finally got out of there clean and to be honest once he got out clean, I felt that with this being 400 yards that he was going to be tough. He just had some bad breaks. He’s ran good enough to win in those bad races, but he just had trouble at the start. He put it together today and I knew he had a good shot once he broke.

       “The horse has nine outs. He has five wins and everything else he’s been second. The only time he’s had bad outs is when he gets in trouble at the start. Other than that, when he gets out, he pretty much does his job and gets to the winner’s circle. We’re pleased to see him back in the winner’s circle. The big races are coming up. He’s in the Golden State and Super Derby. That’s what we’re going to shoot for now.”  

       Bred by J. Garvan Kelly, Party Politics covered the distance in :19.949 from post number two while recording his fifth win in nine career starts. The son of Apollitical Jess out of Shanachee earned $16,500 in the Dillngham to take his career earnings $910,389.

      Eleazar Gonzalez’s Mahomes Magic earned $6,750 for his second-place finish in the Dillingham. Ridden by Juan Pablo Leon for trainer Sergio Morfin, the son of Favorite Cartel is inching closer and closer to the $100,000 mark. He’s earned $90,089 in his career, not bad for a horse claimed for $20,000 while he was still a maiden. For Gonzalez and Morfin, Mahomes Magic has qualified to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and finished in the top three in the El Primero.

       Morfin also saddled Hes Chickless, who is owned by Jeryl Hartley and ridden by Cruz Mendez. The multiple stakes winner earned $3,750 for running third to take his career bankroll to $143,991. Good Wagon SA, Aint He Tempting and Marcelo completed the field.

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