Chicks First Flash will head the field to the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Derby on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–SEPTEMBER 28, 2023–Chicks First Flash and Mornings With Maria, the first and second place finishers in last year’s $325,000 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, will meet again in a stakes event when the two talented sophomores head the field to the Grade 2, $145,000 PCQHRA Breeders Derby on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

A full field of 10 will be in action in the Breeders Derby which is the main event on a day filled with outstanding Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.

Earlier on Saturday over 100 Quarter Horse yearlings will be available for purchase on the first of two days of the Los Alamitos Equine Sale. The 19th edition of the Equine Sale will start at 11 a.m. at the sales pavilion located just a few hundred yards off the track’s entrance.

After the sale concludes, the racing action will heat up with a nine-race card beginning at 6:05 p.m. The Breeders Derby and the running of the $35,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap are the two marquee races on the cards.

Owned by Five Livestock Company and Steve Wright, Chicks First Flash will look to become only the fifth runner to sweep the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and Derby.

The Idaho-bred son of First Moonflash dominated his derby trial after taking the lead a few strides away from the gate. He would go on to win the 400-yard race by 1 ¾ lengths, an effort that makes him the one to beat from post five.

He’ll look to become the first runner to sweep this series since S-Quarter K Llc’s Ima Chickie Two in 2011-12. Three others have also posted the Derby/Futurity double. They are AQHA champion Hawkish in 2003-04, Make It Anywhere in 2000-01, and A Zure Hope Too in 1985-86. Armando Cervantes will ride him for trainer Monty Arrossa.

Owned by MWM Racing Team and Steve Burns, the Seperate Interest filly Morning With Maria will look to improve on her runner-up effort in last year’s Breeders Futurity after winning her trial by an impressive ¾ lengths.

The Juan Aleman-trainee ran the best race of her freshman campaign in last year’s Breeders Futurity and now enters this derby after posting her best effort of the season. Victor Salazar gets the call from post number four.

The field will also include Boardshort Stables, LLC’s Ima Sixy Man and Ed Allred and Brad Hart’s Pragmatic. Ima Sixy Man and Pragmatic were both trial winners for this race back on September 9. Six others will race in the Breeders Derby.

Blaine Bateman’s Suite Caroline is aiming for a sweep of her own. The Favorite Cartel filly won the Wild West Futurity last year and will now head the running of the Blane Schvaneveldt at 400 yards.

Both races are for horses who have competed in the Intermountain and Northwest regions plus Arizona, Nevada and Canada.

Among the eight others also in this race are Korry Trapp’s KT Twos Are Wild, who scored a nice allowance victory here on August 27, and JR Stables’ JR Dash Of Coronado, who ran third in the Wyoming Derby in her last start.

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For more info' please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.