LOS ALAMITOS, CA—OCTOBER 13, 2017—According to a report in a special edition of the TRACK Magazine's Monday Report track management at Los Alamitos Race Course has denied a stall to defending World Champion Jessies First Down who earned a berth to the 2017 Champion of Champions(G1) with his win in the $250,000 Downs at Albuquerque Championship on September 24th.

Owner/breeder Ted Abrams told TRACK Magazine "We are very disappointed that we can not run our horse in the Champion of Champions."

"This horse has done everything that he was supposed to have done to qualify for the race. We ran at Albuquerque to help our friend Paul Blanchard with his new race and because we knew that the winner of the race would get to run in the Champion of Champions."

"This horse has probably been hair tested as much as any horse in the country this year, and he has come up clean every time. Our trainer (Jimmy Padgett) has not had a positive test and our horse has not had a positive test.

"I think by not having the defending World Champion in the race, the Champion of Champions loses. We will now attempt to win the two Grade I races at Zia and Sunland this fall, like we did last fall, and then be named World Champion again without going to California," he said.

The son of leading sire FDD Dynasty is being aimed at the November 22nd $150,000 Zia Park QH Championship(G1) and the December 31 $350,000 The Championship at Sunland Park.