FELIX GONZALEZ PICKS UP 1,000TH WIN AT LOS ALAMITOS IN FLORENTINE STAKES
Felix Gonzalez enjoyed his 1,000th training victory at Los Alamitos after Clanfield Act Stables’ Frivolous won the $25,000 Florentine Stakes for fillies and mares here on Saturday night.
Gonzalez’s victory total is a combination of his wins with Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at the Orange County oval. With his Quarter Horses, Gonzalez has won 777 races, including five with the talented Favorite Cartel mare Frivolous. A winner of the 2022 Governor’s Cup Futurity, Frivolous has now won three stakes races here. She also won the Dashingly Handicap on January 6 before returning with this victory over Parsons Ranch’s Phoebes Baby Girl in the 350-yard race. Ridden by Henry Reynoso Lopez, Frivolous covered the distance in :17.453. She earned $13,750 for the win to take her career earnings to $223,587.
As for Felix Gonzalez, few horsemen have had their hands on more Quarter Horse racing standouts than he has over the course of his career. The popular horseman has long played a prominent role in introducing young horses to the saddle and he has long been known as one of the best in working with yearlings before going to the track to their respective trainers.
Over the years, Felix has worked with Los Alamitos Million winner Corona Cartel, two-time divisional champion filly Ah Sigh and Kindergarten winners Secret Card and Sassy Smith. In 1981, Felix arrived in California and eventually began work at Pegasus Stud Farm. There, he broke 2-year-olds for Carlos Lopez, Jaime Gomez and several other top trainers. In 1996, Felix got his training license, and his stakes winners have included Hawkish, Dash To The End, Classic Sassy Chic, Valiantly, Butter Me Up CST, Ipomea, Mister Tornado, Aladim Bryan SA, Blackberry Czech, Jake Blues and many others.
“First of all, I have to thank my father for bringing me over here,” Gonzalez said. “I have to thank my help, my grooms, owners, jockeys and my wife (Loraina). We are always working so hard to get to this point. It’s not easy. I love the racetrack. It’s my home.”
Ridden by Gabrial Lara for trainer Paul Jones, Phoebes Baby Girl earned $5,625 for running second. Jones also saddled third place finisher Wise Lady Dawn. Temple Court was fourth and was followed by Budder Off Friends, Tena Rena, AJ Run For Cash, and Jess Call Me Candy.
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