Preview Racing


One-Hundred-Two To Race in 12 Trials To The Two Million Futurity on Sunday
Rosenthal Ranch LLC’s Runforyourlife gets top billing in Sunday's trials for the $1,903,272 Two Million Futurity at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Scott Martinez
One-Hundred-Two To Race in 12 Trials To The Two Million Futurity on Sunday

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—NOVEMBER 22, 2019—Graded futurity winners Runforyourlife, Flokie and Sass Go Blue plus a slew of other major stakes finalists will headline a fantastic 12-race program consisting of trials to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity at 400 yards Sunday at Los Alamitos.

Every race will be a trial race with a total of 102 Quarter Horses hoping to advance to the $1,903,272 futurity final. The horses with the 10 fastest times will advance to the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity to be held on the meet’s closing night, Sunday, December 15. The racing card will also feature three Pick Four sequences.

The Early Pick Four will start in the first race at 5:20 p.m. The Middle Pick Four will begin in race five, while the Late Pick Four will get underway in race nine. Of the 102 sprinters competing in the trials, 38 have stakes racing experience and 29 have raced at other top Quarter Horse tracks like Ruidoso Downs and Remington Park. Without a doubt, this will be a great night of trials featuring many of the best 2-year-olds in the nation.

After winning four of his last five starts, Rosenthal Ranch LLC’s Runforyourlife gets top billing in the third trial of the night. A full brother to multiple derby winner Powerful Favorite, Runforyourlife will enter his trial after a hard-fought nose victory in the $1,072,850 Golden State Million Futurity. He had previously won his trial by a length and before that he ran second in the Governor’s Cup Futurity.

The son of Favorite Cartel has moved up in form ever since having the blinkers removed for his race on June 22. Eduardo Nicasio will ride the Steve Burns-bred runner from post number eight for trainer Chris O’Dell. He’ll face a group led by Ed Allred’s recent allowance winner Wambui and Reliance Ranches’ Giving Freely, who won the Los Alamitos California Juvenile Challenge in mid-August.

Trial number nine is wicked tough, as it’s led by PCQHRA Breeders Futurity winner Sass Go Blue, Golden State Million fourth place finisher Up And Atem, Hobbs America Futurity runner-up Sacred Nation and Golden State Million finalist Southern Wagon.

Owned by Steve Burns and Jose Flores, Sass Go Blue is well rested coming into this race, as he’s been off since that futurity win. The son of first-crop sire Separate Interest has been red-hot since July 27, winning three straight races, including the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity by an impressive ¾ lengths. Cruz Mendez is in the irons from post number seven.

As for Allred’s Up And Atem, he posted the fastest qualifying time to the Golden State Million final and was a strong fourth in the final against a tremendous field. Also a son of Favorite Cartel, he has won three of his last four outings and has drawn right next to Sass Go Blue in this trial. Vinnie Bednar will ride for trainer Scott Willoughby.

While there are several new equine faces racing in the trials, there'll also be a high profile new addition in the jockeys' room at Los Alamitos in the form of James Flores, one of the nation's leading riders. Flores will ride Kiss My Dynasty, a son of first-crop sire Kiss My Hocks, in the fourth race, Latin Chick in the sixth, Mucho Valiente in the ninth, and D Runaway Train in the 10th. Flores was one of the star jockeys at Remington Park and Ruidoso Downs. He piloted Mr Jess Jenkins to victory in the All American Futurity.

J. Francisco Diaz and Jose Flores' Flokie will star in the 11th trial, as he looks to qualify for his third major final of the year. The son of Favorite Cartel was the big winner in the Ed burke at 6-1 odds and then finished third to Sass Go Blue in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. Having not raced since that October 5 final, Flokie should be fresh and lookign to fire from post number five. Here's a rundown of the other trials of the night:

The opening trial will feature Bryon Goody's impressive newcomer Trumpster, who broke his maiden at Los Alamitos by 1 1/2 lengths on November 1. The Idaho-bred colt is by champion One Dashing Eagle out of the great champion mare AB What A Runner. Governor's Cup Futurity finalist Cattail Cove is also in this trial.

Lucky Ladies' A Lucky Ladies Man, who broke sharply and finished third in the Golden State Million final, will highlight the second heat. The son of champion Good Reason SA will take on Gentry Farms' Walk Thru Fire filly, Kiss Thru  Fire, who was fifth in the Golden State Million final. Kiss Thru Fire ran in the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity.

Allred has another star in the making in the fifth race in Just Be Real, a Walk Thru Fire gelding who won the Autumn Handicap by a length on October 12. Bobby Simmons' Mental Error, the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity runner-up, is another top contender here.

Ed Burke Million finalist Corona Required, a son of leading sire Corona Cartel is in the sixth race, while PCQHRA Breeders Futurity runner-up Tell Cartel, by Favorite Cartel, heads the seventh.

Budderlicous, a Corona Catel gelding who qualified to the Golden State Million, will race in the eighth and Ed Burke Memorial Juvenile winner Nomadic heads the 10th race.

The final trial will see Bobby Cox's Apollitical Jess filly Ratification, a Rainbow Futurity(G1) finalist, facing Allred's Close To It, another runner with some impressive recent wins.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.