TRANE STATION V WITH TREMENDOUS LOS ALAMITOS DEBUT
POSTS FASTEST TIME TO GOLDEN STATE MILLION FUTURITY
Valeriano Racing Stables’ Trane Station V transformed into a four=legged locomotive during the running of the 10th of 13 trials to the $988,450 Golden State Million Futurity, as he completely dominated his heat in route to posting the fastest qualifying time of night on Sunday at Los Alamitos.
Making his first start since arriving from Ruidoso Downs, Trane Station V (left) was a runaway express in his 400-yard trial, winning the race by 2 ¾ lengths while covering the distance in :19.742. A colt by Favorite Cartel out of the stakes winner Attack The Cartel, Trane Station V led by more than length at the start before extending his advantage to over two lengths at the midway point and then cruising home to most impressive win by a 2-year-old here this season. Ridden by Francisco Calderon for trainer Heath Taylor, Trane Station V now looks poised to score his first stakes win of his career after posting strong second place finishes in both the Grade 1 All American Futurity and Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs this summer.
“The horse is obviously a really talented colt,” Taylor said. “He ran really well at Ruidoso and the horse still hasn’t learn how to break at all. I talked to Francisco about it in the paddock and he said again tonight that the horse broke average. He said that he stands there and watches the doors open. Obviously after that he has tremendous acceleration. It was his first time at night and first time in California. A lot of new things for the horse. He said that the horse got over here (by the paddock) and started looking a little bit at the toteboard wanting to get out. He said he had to tap him one time and focus. He’s just a talented horse with a lot of speed and ability. He looked magnificent. We know we have to work on the break and eventually he’ll get it down.”
Bred by Dr. Steve Burns, Trane Station V improved his record to three wins from six starts while finishing in the top two in each of his outings. Purchased for $130,000 at the Ruidoso Yearling Sale, the California-bred colt has already earned $604,000 in his career with more money to come after advancing to the Golden State Million final to be held on Sunday, October 29.
“He’s settled in super (at Los Alamitos),” Taylor said. “He eats well, he’s super gentle and smart. He’s low maintenance and has been a dream. When they sent him out, there were no special instructions. He’s just been a really nice horse.”
Led by Trane Station V, here’s the complete list of Golden State Million qualifiers: Trane Station V (:19.742), AB Wow (:19.937), Think Again Kev (:19.968), Favorite City (:19.972), Relentless Coronado (:20.020), Goodtyme (:20.020), Famous Cartel Jessy (:20.070), Mr Perrisimo (:20.082), Unrelentless (:20.088), and Hot Prodigy (:20.103).
Owned by Jaime Bryant, Melanie Brooks, and Linda Joiner, AB Wow (right) left the gate sharply, took a ¾ length lead and continued to open up from there before crossing the wire by 1 ¼ lengths of the rest in trial three. The gray gelding by Apollitical Jess posted the second fastest time while collecting his second win from four starts. Eddie Willis saddled AB Wow, who was ridden to victory by Justine Klaiber.
“He ran really good,” Willis said. “Mike Joiner sent this horse to me and said that he doesn’t break very well but he can really run. He broke good tonight. He was really running good in the final parts of the race.”
Willis had an evening’s best 17 juveniles racing in the trials by the end of the night, he had qualified three runners to the rich futurity. He also qualified Zynda Racing’s Relentless Coronado and Reliance Ranches’ Unrelentless, both sired by Hes Relentless.
“I ran most of these horses at Ruidoso,” Willis said of his Golden State contingent. “Usually from there to here they don’t have to acclimate much. The sea level here is better. We worked some of them here and some of them we didn’t because we ran them there right at the end of the meet. I have a pretty good set of horses.”
Bred by Rancho El Cabresto, AB Wow won his trial to the All American Futurity. Relentless Coronado finished in a deadheat for the win with West Texas Racing Partners’ Goodtyme, while Unrelentless won his trial by a neck.
Keith Nellesen’s Think Again Kev won the fourth heat while recording the third fastest qualifying time. The McColee Land and Livestock LLC-bred runner ran third in the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity earlier this year and came into this race after running second in a trial to the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. Jose Nicasio rode the son of KVN Corona to victory.
“We changed a little bit of equipment on the horse,” Taylor said. “He’s been getting to the front and kind of hanging, stopping. I thought in his last race at 350 he was in front and got caught. We changed a lot of things, so I was apprehensive, but he left in front, stayed in front, and finished really well. I was tickled with his effort at 400 tonight.”
Taylor also trains Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch’s Hot Prodigy, a Texas-bred colt by Apollitical Jess. Hot Prodigy competed in the Ed Burke Million final in June.
Trial night began with Levings Racing LLC’s Favorite City surprising his rivals by winning the opening heat at 27-1 odds. A winner in her career debut here, the filly by Favorite Cartel out of Send City is a half-sister to two-time Champion of Champions winner Apollitical Pence. Ridden by Armando Cervantes and trained by Monty Arrossa, Favorite City won the opening trial by a length.
“This is the fourth time she’s drawn the one hole,” Arrossa said. “In her three prior outs she’s always broke and went in. One of the things we talked about today was breaking and trying to keep her off the rail. She broke great and she got in a little bit. She got away from the rail and that helped her accelerate. The filly has a lot of speed but really that breaking in at the gate had been costing her. Tonight, the break was key.
Back in her barn, Favorite City’s older brother is stalled very close to the Dunn Ranch-bred filly.
“They are stalled on the same side of the barn with just one stall in between them,” Arrossa said of Apollitical Pence and Favorite City. “There’s lot of similarities. They’re both real long and both have great disposition. Pence ran a great race (on Saturday) and just got beat by a great horse (AQHA World Champion Empressum). We keep remind her that she needs to run like her big brother. Tonight she put it together.”
As for the other three qualifiers, Goodtyme is a sibling to futurity winner Sunnyside and Duponte. Bred by Bobby Cox, the Texas-bred gelding by Apollitical Jess was making his local debut and arrives fresh off a 1 ½ length win in his All American trial. Eduardo Nicasio rode him for trainer Chris O’Dell.
In making her seventh career start, Johnny Trotter’s Famous Cartel Jessy enjoyed her second victory of her juvenile campaign. Both wins by the Mr Jess Perry filly have been at Los Alamitos. Jose Flores trains Famous Cartel Jessy and also Mr Perrisimo. Licon Farm and Ranches’ Mr Perrisimo won his local debut last month and is already a starter of seven races in his career. The gelding also by Mr Jess Perry was bred by Richard Beck.
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