LETHAL COWBOY 123 IS 2024 PCQHRA HORSE OF THE YEAR; GENTRY FARMS WINS FRANK N. VESSELS MEMORIAL AWARD
Caliche Walls Venture LLC, Alan Isbell, Lance Bland and Jimmy Barton’s Lethal Cowboy 123, the winner of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, was unveiled as the 2024 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old gelding during a special awards video that premiere on Sunday night on YouTube and LosAlamitos.com.
Hosted by Michael Wrona, the track announcer at Los Alamitos, the PCQHRA Awards Video commemorated winners in various racing divisions while celebrating the achievements of California’s top Quarter Horses, breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys. The Awards Video can be viewed HERE.
Trained by Marc Jungers, Lethal Cowboy 123 (left) won all four of his starts in California last year highlighted by his neck victory in the track’s richest race, the $1,832,950 Two Million Futurity. Bred by Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, the gelding by Flying Cowboy 123 earned a meet’s best $1,204,755. Edwin Escobedo, James Flores and Christian Ramos piloted Lethal Cowboy 123 in his local wins.
Gentry Farms (right) received the 2024 Frank Vessels, Sr. Memorial Award for the family’s outstanding contributions to the sport of Quarter Horse racing as owners and breeders. Starting with brothers Robert and Bruce Gentry and now continuing with the Kirk Gentry-led Gentry Farms, the Gentry Family has been owning and breeding quality horses for decades. Since 2000, Gentry Farms has been represented at Los Alamitos by AQHA champions Kiss Thru Fire and Fearless Moon plus standouts like College Scandal, Heartbeat, In My Heart, Ohana Spirit, Beach Walk, all of them winners at the Orange County oval.
Other great horses campaigned by the Gentry Family include Such An Easy Effort, Fovee, Fredaville, Fodice, Dasha Freda, Easy Kiss and others. Gentry Farms bred Dasha Freda, the dam of AQHA World Champion Heza Dasha Fire and AQHA champion Ima Fearless Hero.
Lethal Cowboy 123 is only the eighth juvenile to be named PCQHRA Horse of the Year. He joins Trane Station V (2013), J Fire Up (2017), One Dashing Eagle (2012), Tres Passes (2008), Ocean Runaway (2004), Hawkish (2003), and Corona Chick (1991) as the other 2-year-olds to receive the PCQHRA’s top racing accolade.
Lethal Cowboy 123’s connections were recognized throughout the show. His breeder, Veronica Gail Worth, received the breeder special achievement award, and his dam, Pure Lethal, won the James V.A. Carter Award for top broodmare. Owners Lance Bland and Jimmy Barton were the recipients of the owner special achievement award. In addition to co-owning Lethal Cowboy 123, they also partnered on Asscher, the winner of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks. Jungers, who trained Lethal Cowboy 123 and Asscher, was presented with the trainer special achievement award.
Owned by Steve Burns and Bobby Cox, Favorite Cartel won the Three Bars Award for top stallion for the eighth time, while Dr. Burns was named PCQHRA Breeder of the Year for the seventh consecutive year. Ed Allred, who campaigned graded stakes winners London Toby and Nymphette, was named PCQHRA Owner of the Year.
London Toby, winner of the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship, was selected as the PCQHRA champion aged gelding. Gary Laramie’s Jessica Cruz, winner of the Grade 2 Las Damas Stakes, is the PCQHRA champion aged mare, while Mauro Zaborowsky’s Edberg Verde and Jeryl Hartley’s Hes Chickless shared the honors as PCQHRA champion aged stallions.
In the juvenile division, Apolitical Chilitas, a finalist for both the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, was named California’s top 2-year-old filly. She raced for Licon Farm and Ranch LLC. EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk, the winner of the Governor’s Cup Futurity, was California’s top 2-year-old colt.
In the sophomore ranks, Reliance Ranches’ Unrelentless was named the PCQHRA champion 3-year-old colt after winning both the Town Policy and A Ransom Stakes. Paul Blanchard, Guadalupe Bujanda, Jose Flores and Santos Montemayor’s Mask Mandate, winner of the Governor’s Cup Derby, was named the top 3-year-old gelding, while Parsons Ranch’s Rockin With Energy was the top 3-year-old filly after a strong stakes winning campaign. Unrelentless and Rockin With Energy have both gone on to win major Grade 1 races as aged runners.
Angie Aquino and Ashley Garcia received the Sam Thompson Memorial Award for exhibiting leadership within the racing community at Los Alamitos Race Course. Aquino and Garcia are council members of the Los Alamitos division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, are avid volunteers for many of the track’s community functions and activities. In past years, Aquino has sponsored soccer teams consisting of backstretch employees participating in the Los Alamitos RTCA soccer league, while Garcia has often donated stallion breedings to the local track chaplaincy’s Online Stallion Service Auction to raise much needed funds for fellowship events.
Cruz Mendez was the Jockey of the Year, while Eddie Willis was the Trainer of the Year for the 2024 season. Justine Klaiber, who finished the season as the meet’s seventh leading Quarter Horse rider and had the highest win percentage for riders with more than 50 mounts, was recognized with the Jockey Special Achievement Award.
The Val Tonks Award presented to an up-and-coming young rider went to Gabriel Angel Gomez Lara, whose highlights included riding London Toby to victory in the Brad McKinzie and piloting top runners like Norco and Boardwalk.
The Moonist Award presented to a horse that exhibited excellence while competing at a stakes or high allowance level went to Steve Burns’ 7-year-old gelding You Can Run, the winner of the Kaweah Bar Handicap last year. The Most Improved Horse Award was given to Mario Tellez Montiel’s Show N Tell Cartel, who was claimed by the owner for $16,000 out of the Los Alamitos Claiming Stakes, and then he went on to qualify to the Los Alamito Two Million Futurity.
In the Mixed-Breed division at Los Alamitos, Battle Born Racing picked up another leading owner award, while Ricardo Ramirez defended his title as leading rider. Sergio Morfin was the breed’s top trainer. In the Thoroughbred ranks, Angela Aquino was the champion owner and trainer for the second consecutive year. And just like last year, Edgar Payeras was the champion jockey. James Crott’s Project Leader was named the top male horse at 1000 yards at Los Alamitos after winning the Summer Final while also posting seven straight victories at this distance. Bruce Guttman and Antonio Flores’ Just A Little Luck was the top filly/mare at 1,000 yards after winning the Winter Final.
The leading money winning Cal-Breds in various divisional categories also were recognized during the show with EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk being the Cal-Bred Horse of the Year based on earnings. FanDuel TV received a special recognition award for its importance to racing at Los Alamitos. The complete list of award winners follows below:
2024 P.C.Q.H.R.A. AWARDS
2024 CHAMPIONS
HORSE OF THE YEAR
LETHAL COWBOY 123
Owner: Caliche Walls Venture, LLC, Alan Isbell, Lance Bland & Jimmy Barton
Breeder: Veronica Gail Kawananakoa
TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT
FAVORITE JESSHAWK
Owner / Breeder: EG High Desert Farms, LLC
TWO-YEAR-OLD GELDING
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY
APOLITICAL CHILITAS
Owner: Licon Farm and Ranch, LLC
Breeder: Omar Paredes
THREE-YEAR-OLD COLT
UNRELENTLESS
Owner: Reliance Ranches, LLC
Breeder: Flag Ranch, LLC
THREE-YEAR-OLD GELDING
MASK MANDATE
Owner: Paul Blanchard, Guadalupe Bujanda, Jose Flores & Santos Montemayor
Breeder: Steve D. Burns, DVM
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY
ROCKIN WITH ENERGY
Owner / Breeder: Parsons Family Limited Partnership
AGED STALLION
EDBERG VERDE
Owner/Breeder: Mauro Eli Zaborowsky
HES CHICKLESS
Owner: Jeryl Hartley
Breeder: Ronald or Jeryl Hartley
AGED GELDING
LONDON TOBY
Owner/Breeder: Edward C. Allred
AGED MARE
JESSICA CRUZ
Owner: Gary Laramie
Breeder: Double Bar S Ranch, LLC
MOONIST AWARD
YOU CAN RUN
Owner /Breeder: Steve D. Burns, DVM
MOST IMPROVED HORSE AWARD
SHOW N TELL CARTEL
Owner: Mario Tellez Montiel
Breeder: Link Newcomb
1000 YARD CHAMPION HORSE OF THE YEAR COLT / GELDING
PROJECT LEADER
Owner: James E. Crotts
Breeder: George Schmitt, Mary Clare Schmitt & Richard Meister
1000 YARD CHAMPION HORSE OF THE YEAR FILLY / MARE
JUST A LITTLE LUCK
Owner: Antonio Flores and Bruce Guttman
Breeder: Terry Knight, Jean Annuzzi & Mel Annuzzi
JAMES V.A. CARTER AWARD
Outstanding Broodmare
PRETTY LETHAL
Owner: Lazy Deuce Ranch, LLC
Breeder: P K Thomas
THREE BARS AWARD
Outstanding Stallion
FAVORITE CARTEL
Owner: Steve D. Burns, DVM and Bobby Cox
Breeder: Paul C. Jones and Thompson Racing, Inc.
OWNER OF THE YEAR
EDWARD C. ALLRED
BREEDER OF THE YEAR
STEVE D. BURNS, DVM
TRAINER OF THE YEAR
EDDIE WILLIS
OWNER SPECIAL RECOGNITION
LANCE BLAND & JIMMY BARTON
BREEDER SPECIAL RECOGNITION
VERONICA GAIL KAWANANAKOA
TRAINER SPECIAL RECOGNITION
MARC E. JUNGERS
JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
CRUZ MENDEZ
JOCKEY SPECIAL RECOGNITION
JUSTINE KLAIBER
VAL TONKS MEMORIAL AWARD
GABRIEL ANGEL GOMEZ LARA
PCQHRA
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
FANDUEL TV
SAM THOMPSON MEMORIAL AWARD
Presented by P.C.Q.H.R.A. to
ANGELA AQUINO AND ASHLEY GARCIA
For an Individual who displays leadership within the Los Alamitos racing community
FRANK VESSELS, SR.
MEMORIAL AWARD
GENTRY FARMS
In Recognition of an Outstanding Contribution to the Sport of Quarter Horse Racing
THOROUGHBRED OWNER OF THE YEAR
ANGELA MARIA AQUINO
THOROUGHBRED TRAINER OF THE YEAR
THOROUGHBRED JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
EDGAR PAYERAS
MIXED-BREED JOCKEY OF THE YEAR
RICARDO S. RAMIREZ
MIXED-BREED TRAINER OF THE YEAR
SERGIO MORFIN
MIXED-BREED OWNER OF THE YEAR
BATTLE BORN RACING STABLE
LEADING MONEY-EARNING
CAL-BRED HORSE OF THE YEAR
Cal-Bred Breeder: EG High Desert Farms, LLC
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED COLT
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED GELDING
LISTEN NOW
Cal-Bred Breeder: Edward C. Allred
TWO-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED FILLY
FYRESTORM
Cal-Bred Breeder: Ronald or Jeryl Hartley
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED COLT
CORRUPTOR
Cal-Bred Breeder: Elena Andrade / Steve D. Burns, DVM
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED GELDING
Cal-Bred Breeder: Steve D. Burns, DVM
THREE-YEAR-OLD CAL-BRED FILLY
Cal-Bred Breeder: Parson Family Limited Partner
AGED CAL-BRED GELDING
AGED CAL-BRED MARE
NYMPHETTE
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