Preview Racing


92 To Race In Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity Trials On Sunday
Grade 2 Kindergarten Futurity winner Wicked Affair is among the 92 hopefuls expected to start in the Ed Burke Million Futurity(G1) trails Sunday at Los Alamitos.

© Scott Martinez
92 To Race In Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity Trials On Sunday

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JUNE 8, 2018— Five of the 10 horses that qualified to the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, including the top three finishers in the race, are among the 92 juveniles that will compete in the trials to the Grade 1, $1,060,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at 350 yards on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

Eleven races are on tap with the horses with the 10 fastest times in the trials returning for the Ed Burke Million final to be held here on Sunday, June 24.

Among the 92 racing on Sunday, 32 have already broken their maiden. Leading the way will be Legacy Ranch’s Wicked Affair, a homebred filly by One Sweet Jess and the 3/4 length winner of the Grade 2 Kindergarten Futurity on May 20. To be ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Terry Knight in the sixth trial, Wicked Affair won the Kindergarten from the outside post 10 in a time of :15.36.

Wicked Affair was also a winner in her racing debut back on April 14, which makes her one of only three multiple winners in the Ed Burke Million trials. The only other ones with more than one victory are the Reliance Ranch-owned duo of SC Money Maker and Pack Light, the fifth and eighth place finishers, respectively in the Kindergarten final. Wicked Affair’s trial will also feature Karla Diaz and Jorge Navarro’s Tough Enough Jess, a half-length winner on May 18.

Among the Ed Burke hopefuls, SC Money Makers is the only horse with a faster clocking at 300 yards than Wicked Affair. The gelding by Pyc Paint Your Wagon posted the fastest qualifying time to the Kindergarten when winning his trial in a time of :15.31 on May 6. SC Money Maker ended up with a highly troubled trip in the Kindergarten final, leading to his fifth place as the even money favorite. Oscar Peinado will ride SC Money Maker from post four in th second trial of the night for trainer Mike Robbins.

Rosenthal Ranch LLC’s Powerful Favorite is the other previous winner in the second trial. A full-brother to the four-time graded stakes finalist The Revenant, Powerful Favorite broke his maiden by a length in a time of :15.57 for trainer Chris O’Dell on April 29. He’ll start from post number three next to SC Money Maker in this trial.

In addition to Wicked Affair, SC Money Maker, and Pack Light, the other two Kindergarten finalists returning on Sunday night are Juan Carlos Chavez’s Striver and Norma Cano’s Ms Ko, the second and third place finishers in the Grade 2 futurity. Trained by Scott Willoughby, Striver was on the lead in the Kindergarten, but she faced a traffic jam in her race and had to settle for second place.

The Foose filly also finished second to Wicked Affair in their debut back on April 14, but she posted a solid 3/4 length win when avoiding that rival in in her Kindergarten trial. Cesar Franco will pilot the Ed Allred-bred filly from post three in a very tough trial seven. This heat is the only one of the night featuring five winners. In addition to Striver, Turner Farms’ Jess Macho Corona, Howard Nichols’ Dexxter, Parsons Family Limited Partnership’s Parsons Rocket, and J. Francisco Diaz’s Arrogant Disregard have all previously visited the winner’s circle at Los Alamitos. Bradley Hart’s Blane, second in his racing debut, will also compete in this trial.

Norma Cano’s Ms Ko had an eventful journey in the Kindergarten finale. The filly by Corona Cartel broke in and bumped at the start and then again after about 200 yards while in the middle of all the congestion in the race. Ms Ko kept her focus throughout and was able to come out of the race with the bronze medal in the Kindergarten. She posted a 3/4 length victory when avoiding trouble in her Kindergarten trial. There’s plenty of talent in this filly bred by Erik Flores. She’ll race in trial number five on Sunday against a field that includes winners Laguna Coaster, owned by Gary Allred, Fawna Knight, and Leon Smith, plus Reliance Ranch’s Conquering Marie and Jaime Gomez’s Majestic Mr Perry.

Darling Farms and Gomez’s Perrys Pleasure, a half-sister to AQHA champion 2-year-old J Fire Up, will head the opening Ed Burke trial. The Mr Jess Perry filly made a terrific late move in her debut when going from seventh to third place after veering inside. Jose Nicasio will be up. She’ll take on maiden winners One Berry, BF Farmhand, and Tres Delight. John Bird and Brad, Melany and Ronald Shalz’s Monster Hand, a half-brother of Ed Burke hopeful Powerful Favorite, will be in action in the third trial. The Walk Thru Fire colt won his racing debut by an impressive 1 1/4 lengths for trainer Paul Jones. Tazs Tiny Pebble and Apollitical Pence are among the other top contenders in trial three.

Teller Hez Famous and Moon Me Blue will each be looking for career win number two when they face off in trial number four. Card Trix, second in her debut, is another top contender in this race. The eighth trial will be led by Adrian Aleman’s Kis My Bit, the runner-up in the $36,000 Dixie Futurity on April 21. Quick To Royalty, who was moved up from second to first following a disqualification in a race on May 6, is another top name in the eighth.

The final three trials on the night are among the most competitive. The ninth trial will have four winners in the field, including Razzel Dazzel, who dominated in his last start with a daylight victory on May 5. El Saucito, Ali Babe Foose and Sad Face Emoji all exit winning efforts. The 10th race has Perfect FDD, Budbreak, and Jess Curlin all looking for return visits to the winner’s circle. The aforementioned Pack Light and Wave Her Down, a full sister to World Champion Wave Carver and champion Ocean Runaway, will head the 11th and final trial.

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Six Quarter Horse handicappers have provided their top three selections for each of Sunday’s Ed Burke Million Futurity Trials. The handicappers are Ed Burgart, Chris Wade, Orlando, “Professor G” Gutierrez, Equibase's Curtis "The Hitman" Treece, Jose “Los Ponies” Contreras, and guest handicapper George Duarte, a multiple National Handicapping Championship finalist.

Each handicapper's top pick received a score of five points, their second choice received three points and their third choice received one point. All points were added and the horses with the highest scores are listed in the consensus section. CLICK HERE to download the Ed Burke Million Futurity(G1) Consensus Selections.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.