LOS ALAMITOS, CA—MAY 19, 2018—Randy Dickerson and Nick Lowe’s CM Boom Shakalaka came into the $25,000 Dillingham Handicap on Saturday as the nine-horse field’s only stakes winner.

He left the race still as the only stakes winner after holding off a tremendous late run from Martha Wells’ Yanque to win the 400-yard sprint for 3-year-olds by a neck at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Rodrigo Aceves and trained by Nick Lowe, CM Boom Shakalaka broke super from the outside post nine and had a clear lead after the first 150 yards. CM Boom Shakalaka was so far ahead of Yanque that at one point in the race, his rival was directly behind CM Boom Shakalaka’s tail after breaking slow from post eight and shifting outwardly.

Meanwhile, CM Boom Shakalaka kept on doing running. He led The Revenant by ¾ lengths with 110 yards left in the race, but that’s when Yanque began to accelerate. As he’s done before, Yanque began making up ground, moving from sixth place all the way to second despite lugging inside after being so far outside. It was all for not for the mercurial runner, as CM Boom Shakalaka kept to his task and crossed the wire ahead of Yanque.

CM Boom Shakalaka earned $13,750 for the win to take his career earnings to $74,726. The Randy Dickerson-bred runner also recorded his eighth win in 11 starts. CM Boom Shakalaka covered the distance in :19.867.

The Oregon-bred gelding by Carters Cartel won the James Smith Memorial Handicap at Los Alamitos on April 8 and both the Oregon Bred Juvenile and John Deere Emerald Downs Juvenile Challenge during his freshman campaign last year. He’s now a three-time stakes winner following his Dillingham effort.

Trained by Matt Fales, Yanque posted a similar effort in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby earlier this year. The gelding by Favorite Cartel was 10th at the start before flying late to finish second behind Jess My Kiss. He also went from fifth to first in The Plan Handicap for 2-year-olds last year and from sixth to first in his Winter Derby trial.

The late running gelding earned $5,625 to take his career bankroll to $88,785.

Fortuna Properties’ Foose gelding Ditto Head also made a big late run, as he went from ninth to third. He finished a neck behind Yanque for second.

The Revenant, Effortless Effort, King of Appeals Mv, No Kiddin, Dont Foose With Me, and Seems Even Better completed the field.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.