Preview Racing


Bannister Headlines Adequan California Derby On Friday
Bannister will go after his third stakes victory at Los Alamitos in the $36,090 Adequan California Derby Challenge on Friday at Los Alamitos.

© Scott Martinez
Bannister Headlines Adequan California Derby On Friday

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—AUGUST 17, 2017—Denny and Sandy Weigt’s Bannister will go after his third stakes victory at Los Alamitos Race Course when he takes on seven rivals in the $36,090 Adequan California Derby Challenge on Friday at Los Alamitos. First post is 8 p.m. with the 400-yard Adequan California set as the eighth race on the card.

Trained by Monty Arrossa, Bannister won the Wild West Futurity and finished third in the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge last year. He has already made four starts in stakes events at Los Alamitos this year, winning the James Smith Memorlal Handicap and running second to graded derby winner Stelfast in the Dillingham Handicap.

The Maknmoves gelding also finished to Grade 2 Golden State Derby fastest qualifier Kissed By An Eagle in the Vandy’s Flash Handicap on June 25 and earlier in the year he competed in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby. His solid campaign could get even better with a strong effort in the Adequan California. He’ll start from the outside post number eight with leading Quarter Horse jockey Jesus Rios Ayala up.

Arrossa will also saddle Gary Laramie and Janet Oakeson’s Genuine Version. The Winners Version gelding won the Utah Bred Futurity at Wyoming Downs last year and crossed the wire first, but was disqualified and placed ninth for interference in the Adequan Regional Derby Challenge at Sun Downs in May. Cesar De Alba will ride. The field will also feature Martin and Stephanie Webb’s

zGold Diggin Queen, a winner of two straight allowance evens.

Wide Open Race In John Deere On Saturday Night

Alvaro Lua’s Favorite Hot Cartel will lead a field that includes major futurity finalists Apollitical Stone, SC Vapor Trail, and Missmerizing in a wide-open running of the $44,460 John Deere California Juvenile Challenge on Saturday at Los Alamitos. The winner of the John Deere California will earn a berth to the rich Juvenile final to be held later this year at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on AQHA Bank of America Racing Challenge Night.

Trained by Ramiro Zuazo, Favorite Hot Cartel gets top billing after winning his trial in the fastest 350-yard time of the night of :17.89. The gelding by Favorite Cartel showed a terrific late punch and also the quickness to keep up with fast breaking runners like Missmerizing and SC Vapor Trail. Oscar Peinado will ride Favorite Hot Cartel from post number six. Trained by Monty Arrossa for Denny and Sandy Weight, Missmerizing has been second in four of her six career starts. Still a maiden, the filly by Pyc Paint Your Wagon was seventh in the Kindergarten Futurity earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Apollitical Stone and SC Vapor Trail both won their respective John Deere California trials and previously competed in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity. Jose Flores and Steve Mickaelian’s Apollitical Stone ran fourth against a strong Ed Burke Million field.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.