LOS ALAMITOS, CA— August 17, 2014—A familiar face helped Martha Well’s New Look deliver a vintage performance, as the multiple stakes winner posted a surprising victory in the $71,640 Bank of America California Championship on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

With Rodrigo Aceves back aboard New Look for the first time in over 20 months, the Walk Thru Fire gelding enjoyed his first victory since the last time he was together with Aceves in the Dana Point Handicap on November 23, 2012. In the past three years, the Aceves and New Look combination has proved to be a winning one, as the veteran rider has guided the Ed Allred-bred sprinter in seven of his eight career victories.

In addition to Sunday’s Bank of America Challenge and the aforementioned Dana Point, Aceves also piloted New Look to a winning effort in the 2012 El Primero Del Ano Derby. Aceves also rode New Look when he won his trials to the El Primero and Governor’s Cup Derby.

“I guess we get along well,” Aceves said. “I had not ridden him in a very long time, but I think he remembered me and I remembered him. It was a nice race. He broke very sharply.”

Aceves got the opportunity to get back on New Look when his previous rider, Ramon Sanchez, piloted last year’s Bank of America California winner Jeff Featureme Quick in this race. Aceves made the most out of the opportunity, as he flawlessly guided New Look to meet’s fastest 440-yard time of :21.536. Sent off at 12-1 odds, New Look won from post number six.

“It was a repeat of history with Rodrigo and New Look winning,” Jones said. “Those two have done well together.”

Jones was also pleased to see New Look deliver the kind of race that the trainer had been waiting for.

“He finally ran to his works,” Jones added. “I’ve worked him a couple of times and on each occasion he worked so fast that I thought he was the best horse in my barn. The last time he has a great 350 yard workout in :17.60, but then came to run an okay race in the (Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap). He had a work of :17.50 in March, but then came back to only run fourth in an allowance race. This race was like his previous works.”

Jones added that taking New Look to Prairie Meadows in Iowa to run in the Bank of America Championship final is a possibility.

“I asked Rodrigo about taking the horse to Iowa and he immediately said ‘let’s go’,” Jones continued. New Look earned $33,671 to take his lifetime bankroll to $195,441. He also improved his record to eight win in 29 starts.

Melissa Miller’s Jess Featureme Quick was second throughout after breaking from post number two. The Texas-bred Feature Mr Jess gelding, who earned $14,328, was looking to become the first horse to win back-to-back runnings of the Bank of America California since World Champion Down With Debt in 1995 and 1994.

“I thought my best chance to win this race was with Jess Featureme Quick, Jones said. “He ran a great race and I thought that he would win. The thing that worried me is that this race loves the outside post, but in his last few races he’s drawn inside. This horse loves the outside post.”

Gentry Farms’ Scatmandu, second in last year’s Los Alamitos Super Derby finished third, and was followed across the wire by Snowboundbeast, Forrest Fire, French Fury, Time For A Royal Dip, Creole Williams, and Sugardaddy B.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.