LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JANUARY 24, 2016—Round two of what could be Quarter Horse racing’s biggest rivalry in years transpired on Sunday night with heavyweight champions Heza Dasha Fire and Moonist squaring off in the first of two trials to the Grade 1 $139,700 Los Alamitos Winter Championship.

With a full moon hovering over the Orange County oval, Ron Hartley’s iron horse Moonist ran one of the best races of his great career to defeat the recently named World Champion Heza Dasha Fire by a half-length to even their new found rivalry at one win a piece. Ridden by Cesar De Alba for trainer John Cooper, Moonist broke sharply from post number six and never trailed, as he also posted the fastest qualifying time to the Winter Championship in a 400-yard time of :19.506.

Owned by S-Quarter K LLC, Heza Dasha Fire finished as the second fastest qualifier with a time of :19.576. The third fastest qualifier was EG High Desert Farms’ Dr Jess, the winner of the other trial, with a time of :19.801, nearly 3/10th of a second behind Moonist’s time.

Round three of the Heza Dasha Fire/Moonist rivalry will take place in the Winter Championship final on Sunday, February 14. A total of 10 older horses will compete in this event with the winner earning a berth to the 2016 $600,000 Champion of Champions. Heza Dasha Fire won the Champion of Champions last year when he defeated Moonist in their first ever encounter. With the series now even 1 to 1, the two superstars will face off with a berth to the prestigious Champion of Champions on the line.

“Moonist exploded in the last part of the race,” Hartley said. “It was a full moon tonight and Moonist always does well when there’s a full moon. The Meneelys (of S-Quarter K LLC) congratulated us right after the race. They are great people and they own a superb horse in Heza Dasha Fire. This is Moonist’s 21st win, but they all get beat. We lost to Heza Dasha Fire in the Champion of Champions and that was a great race by Heza Dasha Fire. When you’re in a race you have a chance. Moonist lost two other races last year so when you are facing the best horses you’ll lose some. This time he got lucky. In three weeks, he’ll be in the Winter Championship final and we’ll need to be lucky again. I thought Moonist’s times at 400 yards were very decent last year so I thought he had a chance.”

Hartley credited veteran trainer John Cooper for another outstanding job preparing the now four-time AQHA champion Moonist for this outing, his 31st career start.

“John is a hands-on trainer, there’s no doubt about that,” Hartley said. “He has a ton of experience, a ton of knowledge, and that’s what makes him one of the best trainers in the business.”

Under Cooper’s tutelage, the now 5-year-old gelding by Separatist is one of only nine Quarter Horse with at least 11 stakes wins at Los Alamitos Race Course. He won a track record four derbies in 2014 on the way to being named champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old gelding. He won five stakes races, including the Grade 1 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship and the Go Man Go Handicap, on the way to being named champion aged horse and champion aged gelding. With 21 wins in 31 career starts, Moonist has earned $805,494.

“Moonist, he’s something else,” Cooper said. “I wouldn’t trade him for any other horse in the world. Horses don’t keep running like this for so long. He just keeps on going and I’ll keep feeding him those biscuits. Heza Dasha Fire is a dandy and he’s owned by some nice people and there’s no doubt that he’s as good as there is around here. Our horse is a dandy as well so when they get together it makes for a great race.”

Making his first start since being named AQHA World Champion Racing Quarter Horse, Heza Dasha Fire ran a solid race to qualify to the Winter Championship. However, the gelding by Walk Thru Fire saw his five race win streak come to an end. A winner of $1,690,738 in his career, Heza Dasha Fire has won 11 of 13 starts. His two loses have both come from post number one. The 4-year-old gelding was a perfect five for five last year, winning the Champion of Champions, Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby and Grade 2 Golden State Derby. As a 2-year-old he won the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and Golden State Million Futurity. Like Moonist, he’s also a four-time AQHA champion (2-year-old gelding in 2014 and World Champion, 3-year-old, and 3-year-old gelding in 2015).

“It went to Moonist this time,” trainer Jose Flores said. “No excuses. Moonist beat us. In three weeks, we’ll have another chance to win. Heza Dasha Fire doesn’t run that great from post one, but no excuses. He got beat. It still hurts to lose because I never want to lose a race, but it is what it is. After the Winter Championship, he’ll go rest for 60 to 90 days. His heel is doing pretty good. We changed his shoeing around a bit. My hats off to Moonist, the Hartleys and John Cooper. Another race awaits us in the final so we’ll start getting ready for it.”

Cruz Mendez piloted Heza Dasha Fire, which was bred by his owners, the 2015 AQHA champion breeder S-Quarter K LLC.

Sired by Mr Jess Perry and out of 2007 Golden State Million Futurity winner Eye For Corona, Dr Jess, meanwhile, loved the rail in his trial, as he posted a head victory over 2014 South American champion Jake Gold BR. Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Yanet Rodriguez, Dr Jess has won four out of his last six starts. The 4-year-old gelding was making only his ninth career start.

“I was sad when I had to geld him,” said owner Enrique Gonzalez of EG High Desert Farms. “He’s such a well-bred horse and I was hoping he would run as a 2-year-old like he’s been running now. That’s how this game goes. I’m excited about how he’s performing and I loved the way he ran in the trials. It was important race for him and it’s a big race for us. The final will be a tough competition. We know that Moonist and Heza Dasha Fire are two bosses on the racetrack, but I feel good about my horse. He’s improving and he’s much more lightly raced that the others. Maybe he’ll be in the middle of the action in the final so we hope he has a good showing.”

For the complete list of qualifiers, times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.