JESSICA CRUZ OUTDUELS THE BOYS IN THE AZURE THREE AT LOS ALAMITOS

           Once again, Gary Laramie’s Jessica Cruz was just too quick for her six male counterparts, as she posted her second stakes victories against the boys after winning the $25,000 Azure Three Stakes on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

          Jessica Cruz, a 4-year-old mare by FDD Dynasty, won the James Smith Handicap last year, winning that 350-yard dash against males at 27-1 odds. This time around, she was the second choice at 2-1 odds in the Azure Three while scoring a ½ length victory in the 220-yard race. Ridden by Rodrigo Aceves for trainer Elena Andrade, Jessica Cruz took the lead right from the start and then pulled away from her rivals while covering the distance in a time of :11.773.

Now a winner of seven of 24 starts, Jessica Cruz’s victory in the Azure Three came against a star-studded field that included Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap winner You Can Run, multiple graded stakes runner-up Required First, and Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby winner Hes Chickless, who was the 7-5 favorite. 

          “She’s beat the boys before, so I wasn’t really scared about that,” Andrade said. “My main thing was the distance. She had won at 110 (yards) so this was a good spot for her. This was right up her alley. The boys didn’t scare me too much. We had already run against them. She did her job tonight.”

          Jessica Cruz has also become one of the top distaffers at Los Alamitos. Already this year, the Double Bar S Ranch-bred runner has hit the board in four stakes races against fillies and mares, including second place finishes against four-time Grade 1 winner Pattys Saint in the Miss Princess Handicap and the Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes plus a third against her in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap.

          “Running second to that mare, that’s like a win for us,” Andrade said. “I’m so proud of her. Longer distances are not really her thing. When I can get races like this for her at shorter distance, we’ll give it a go.” 

          Jessica Cruz earned $13,750 for her victory in the Azure Three. That takes her career earnings to $142,208. Her connections will now figure out what is next for the daughter of the stakes placed broodmare Jess Cuz. Options include the Las Damas Handicap on November 16 or perhaps the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials on November 17.

          Steve Burns’ You Can Run, winner of the Kaweah Bar Handicap earlier this year, finished second, while George and Ruben Villalobos’ Required First was third. Hes Chickless, Always A Chance, Up For Everything and Nomad Too completed the field.

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