LOS ALAMITOS, CA—AUGUST 16, 2018—A full field of 10 Quarter Horses will headline the featured race of the night, the $15,000 Four Forty Blast Handicap, on Friday at Los Alamitos. First post is 7:55 p.m. The Four Forty Blast is also the final race of the Pick 6 sequence, which tonight carries an $8,289 carryover.

There are three local stakes winners racing in the Four Forty Blast at 350 yards. This trio is headed by Randy Dickerson and Nick Lowe’s CM Boom Shakalaka, the winner of both the Dillingham Handicap and James Smith Handicap this season. The Oregon-bred loves to win races and already has eight of them in his career, including three at Los Alamitos. The Carters Cartel gelding ran fifth in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter earlier this year. Eduardo Nicasio will ride him from post number one.

Martha Wells’ Yanque has tons of talent, but his troubles at the start of races have kept him from winning a few more races. As is, the son of Favorite Cartel has scored five wins and five runner-up efforts and has already competed in three graded derbies this year. He also won The Plan Handicap in 2017 and his second place finish in the Winter Derby ranks as one of the most impressive races so far this season. Erasmo Gasca will pilot Yanque for trainer Matt Fales.

Dr. Steve Burns’ Fyrefly Jo is the other stakes winner in the field. She won the Way Maker Handicap last year for trainer Mike Casselman. The field will also feature Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity finalist On Our Way, Grade 1 finalist Unblemished, PCQHRA Breeders Futurity runner-up Just Walk By, and recent allowance winner La Candidata.

A Look Back At Four Forty Blast

The Four Forty Blast Handicap is named in honor of the1993 AQHA champion3-year-old gelding. Owned and bred by Dutch Masters III, the son of First Down Dash was a star in the early 1990s, winning five of 11 starts as a 2-year-old before returning to win eight of 11 outings during his championship season.

Trained by Carlos Lopez and often ridden by Eddie Garcia, Four Forty Blast won the California Futurity at Hollywood Park and ran second in the Golden State Futurty at Los Alamitos during his freshman campaign. His career took off as the calendar turned to 1993. He won the Grade 1 Horsemen's QHRA Championship against older horses that included Shawnes Diamond, Sound Dash, Ed Grimley, Tune Up The Band, Six To Five and Holland Ease. After running third in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, he had three straight tremendous stakes performances.

He won the Los Alamitos Derby by a half-length over eventual 1994 AQHA World Champion Down With Debt and then won the Go Man Go Handicap over older foes a month later. He capped it off by winning the Governor’s Cup Derby.

Four Forty Blast twice defeated older foes as a 3-year-old and his rivals were often among the most decorated runners of the era. He was winless in four starts as a 4-year-old, but few were better than the champion Four Forty Blast in 1992 and 1993.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.