LOS ALAMITOS, CA—OCTOBER 1, 2020—With fastest qualifier Terrific Temper out of the Grade 2, $375,000 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, the attention now shifts to the barns of trainers Jaime Gomez and Jose Flores, as they will each have strong representation in the 350-yard race on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

This year’s running of the Breeders Futurity will feature its richest purse since 2017 and a figure that $20,000 higher than last year.

Gomez has three up-and-coming juveniles in this race as looks to tie the legendary Blane Schvaneveldt with six victories in this futurity. Gomez’s last victory in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity came in the 2008 running with Dutch Masters III’s Sixish. Previously to that victory, Gomez won four times over a six-year span thanks to Tac It Like A Man in 2006, Chicks Like Us in 2004, Sassy Smith in 2001 and Make It Anywhere in 2000.

His stable of runners for the 2020 running will be headed by his homebred Thats R Best Card, a gelding by Docs Best Card that he co-owns in partnership with Javier Chavez and Juan Humberto Moya.

Thats R Best Card has won three of his four career start with his only blemish being a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 21. Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala in the trials, Thats R Best Card led wire-to-wire in route to a 1-¾ length victory. Rios Ayala, who is the meet’s leading Quarter Horse rider, will be aboard Thats R Best Card from post seven.

Gomez will also saddle Haras Portofino’s Rite On Time, a filly by Favorite Cartel purchased for $78,000 at Los Alamitos Equine Sale. The Steve Burns-bred filly posted a 1 ¼ length win in the trials and led by as many as two lengths in this race.

James Flores, the 2019 AQHA champion jockey, will pilot Rite On Time from post number five. Flores is currently the nation’s leading rider with 69 victories and the second leading rider in earnings with $3,054,608. His win percentage of 21.56% ranks third nationally among the top 20 jockeys, only behind local starts Jesus Rios Ayala (27.93%) and Jose Nicasio (22.33%).

Gomez’s third starter is The Best Feeling, who ran third to Terrific Temper in the trials, and was an allowance winner here earlier this year. Eduardo Nicasio will pilot the filly by Docs Best Card.

Jose Flores will have three top juveniles of his owns in the futurity final led by Bella Valenzuela’s Opt Out, a daylight winner in his trial when posting the second fastest qualifying time of :19.56. Opt Out, who finished third in the Governor’s Cup Futurity on July 25, will enter having won three of five starts.

"He has really matured," Flores said of Opt Out. "He’s doing better and I think he’ll keep doing better and better. He is better in the gates now and that’s made a world of difference."

Flores will also saddle Jim Nebeker’s No Hesitation, winner of the Utah-Bred Futurity on July 25 and a 1 ¼ length trial winner for this race. No Hesitation is a full brother to Favorite Motion, who was the fastest qualifier to the 2018 Golden State Million Futurity. Flores also trained Favorite Motion.

"I had an interest in buying (No Hesitation)," Flores said. "I didn’t get to buy the horse, but they gave me the opportunity to train him. I’m very thankful for that because he’s a great horse."

Flores also trains Paulo Otavio Freire Macedo’s Reason To Fly MV, who finished second to Opt Out in the trials after winning her first two career starts. Cruz Mendez will be aboard Reason To Fly MV, while Raul Valenzuela will ride Opt Out and Jesus Valenzuela will be on No Hesitation.

Flores has won this race twice before including last year’s running with Sass Go Blue.

Ed Allred’s Monopolist, who finished second to Terrific Temper in the trials, will start from along the rail and will be joined by Les and Kim Sweeting’s two-time futurity finalist BF Outfoosed and Linda Gordon’s Ynot The Favorite to complete the field.

Fastest qualifier Terrific Temper did not enter back for the final after landing on the vet’s lists following her trial victory. She will return to action in two weeks in the trials to the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity on October 18.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.