You Can Run, under jockey Ruben Lozano, winning the $40,000 Kaweah Bar Handicap at Los Alamitos Race Course Saturday night.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–APRIL 27, 2024–Respect your elders. Burns Ranch's homebred You Can Run and Link Newcomb's Cattail Cove, a pair of 7-year-old multiple stakes winners, finished first and third respectively while facing a strong group of older horses that included six talented 4-year-olds in the running of the Grade 3, $40,000 Kaweah Bar Handicap on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

First place finisher You Can Run, a gelding by leading sire Favorite Cartel out of You Can Fly, won the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap and the California Breeders Sprint Stakes back in 2021, but had not been back in the winner's circle for a stakes since then.

He remained a top-notch runner, racing in Grade 1 events like the Champion of Champions and the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship in 2021. The following year he competed in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship, Vessels Maturity and Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap, with his best effort being a fourth-place finish in the Spencer Childers.

After a busy campaign of races at the highest level, Burns and trainer Mike Casselman gave the veteran some time off early in 2023. He returned in October but went winless in his three outings to close out the year. Perhaps, You Can Run was a little rusty after a long break, as he's certainly looked spry and rejuvenated in 2024.

Jockey Ruben Lozano and trainer Mike Casselman accept the Kaweah Bar Handicap stakes trophy at Los Alamitos Race Course. © William Zuazo

Under Casselman's tutelage, You Can Run has now won all three of his starts this season with the Kaweah Bar showing that the Grade 1 winner still has his Grade 1 abilities intact. With Ruben Lozano in the irons, You Can Run covered the 350 yards in :17.647 while finishing a half-length ahead of the graded stakes winning 4-year-old Hes Chickless. Cattail Cove was a neck behind in third.

 "He had a couple of little issues, so we decided to turn him out," Casselman said. "We brought him back and he's really enjoying it. We are proud of him."

You Can Run returned to his winning ways with an allowance win on January 13. He then followed it with another allowance score, this one by a nose over the stakes winner Jess Being A Friend on March 9.

In the Kaweah Bar, You Can Run took on a nine-horse field that included six local stakes winners and the evergreen sprinter showed him all that there's still plenty of sizzle in him.

"We'll look for something on California Breeders Champions Night (in late July)," Casselman added. "Probably the Spencer Childers. We'll see how he does."

Now a winner of nine of 27 starts, You Can Run earned $22,000 for the win to take his career earnings to $238,636.

Jeryl Hartley's Hes Chickless, winner of the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby last year, showed his usual early quickness in route to finishing second in this race. Juan Pablo Leon piloted the Sergio Morfin-trainee. The Hes Relentless colt earned $9,000 to lift his career earnings to $242,912.

Link Newcomb's Cattail Cove, the other ageless star at the age of seven, finished third in the Kaweah Bar with Jesse Gonzalez aboard for trainer Juan Aleman. Cattail Cove added $5,000 to his career earnings with this effort.

The Favorite Cartel gelding has now banked $669,620 in his 45-race career.

El Aventurero, Terrific Phoenix, Normandy, Mahomes Magic, Chivalry and Jess Being A Fried completed the field.

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