Some of the most talked-about juveniles at Los Alamitos this season raced on Sunday night.

© Steve Martinez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–APRIL 27, 2025–Gamaliel Garza Garcia's Accelerated and Parsons Ranch's The Lady Is A Vamp, two of the most talked about juveniles at Los Alamitos this season raced on Sunday night and both delivered impressive winning efforts in their respective debuts.

The Lady Is A Vamp, a filly by Apollitical Blood out of the top producer Another Wise Lady, entered her debut after posting the meet's fastest 220-yard gate drill by a 2-year-old of :12.0 on April 9.

She was fast in her debut as she was in her gate work, as she flew out of the gate, was never challenged while posting a three-length victory in the meet's fastest time at 300-yards by a 2-year-old of :15.445. Her winning time was more than 2/10ths of a second faster than the time posted by the fastest qualifier in last week's trials for the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity.

On that night, Valentin Zamudio's Beyond Repair had the night's top time of :15.681. To put in perspective, The Lady Is A Vamp's winning time equates to be approximately 1 ½ lengths faster than that of the fastest Kindergarten qualifier. Henry Reynoso Lopez piloted Jay and Char Parsons' homebred filly for trainer Paul Jones. 

"We liked her from the beginning," Jones said. "In her very first work, she worked :12.5 but she just looked really good doing it. She didn't break very well. Then when she came back and worked in 12 flat that day, she didn't break perfect, and Henry took a hold of her pretty decent about one jump before the wire and she still goes 12 flat. If he lets her run a little bit she goes in :11.9. I've been telling everybody that I haven't had one this good since Separate Fire or Foose. It's been quite a few years since I think I've had one this good. She lived up to what I've been saying. I'm really happy that she lived to my expectations."

Separate Fire won the Kindergarten and Grade 1 Ed Burke Million, while Foose also won the Ed Burke and the following year's Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby.

The most anxious time Jones had on Sunday night was before the race due to a delay caused by a horse being scratched.

"It makes me a little nervous when they're behind the gate for that long because they warm up and then they cool off," Jones said. "The (horses) go in circles and circles behind the gate. You hate to have those kinds of hiccups when you are running a really good horse because little things like that can throw a horse off their game. She was good enough, a good enough filly, and it was kind of a nice little gallop out. Henry didn't have to push her too hard and she ran down there like she could. We'll try to keep her healthy and happy and point for those trials. We won't get a chance to run her again. There's not enough time. We'll just go from there to the Ed Burke trials and be as ready as we can."

The Lady Is A Vamp is a half-sister to champion and graded stakes winner A Political Lady, multiple graded stakes finalist and 2025 Kaweah Bar Handicap winner Kevins Wise Corona, the graded stakes placed runners Wise Lady Dawn and Powerful Wise Lady.

Ridden by Martin Arriaga for trainer Juan Aleman, Accelerated was the much-publicized sale topper at last year's Los Alamitos Equine Sale. In fact, Accelerated is the highest purchase ever at Equine Sale after Garza Garcia purchased him for $850,000.  

A colt by Favorite Cartel, Accelerated is out of Dam of Distinction Remember Me Rose. The progeny of the cross between Powerful Favorite and Remember Me Rose is among the most famous in Quarter Horse racing history as it includes Grade 1 winners Powerful Favorite, Cyber Attack, Cyber Monday and Bomb Cyclone.

Accelerated's debut showed that he could one day be as successful as his brothers, as he won the 300-yard race by a 1 ½ lengths in :15.563.

"It's like everything, you go to the sale, you buy the (catalog page), buy them by the physique on the horses and then you hope that you have a runner," Aleman said. "He's got the pedigree to do it and he's got the pedigree to do it. He showed what he could do. He's from a good family and we hope he keeps getting better. I always take it easy on their first work. I didn't want them to go that fast in his second work, but he did it on his own. He's kind of under wraps so we knew he had some ability, and he put it together tonight. We'll look towards the future, and we'll see how much better he gets. It wasn't an easy field. Ed Burke trials are next."

There were two other strong juvenile winners on Sunday. Fabulous Emblem, an Oklahoma-bred filly by One Fabulous Eagle is out of the $302,000 earner and multiple graded stakes placed mare Df Aj Green Leaves. Ridden by Francisco Ramirez for owners Ron and Melany Shalz, Fabulous Emblem won the 220 yard dash by  a ½ length and in a time of :12.252. Eddie Willis trains the Darling Farms-bred filly.

The closest race of the night went to SR Racing Stables' Political Ruffian, a colt by Apollitical Jess  out of the mare Peacefull Serenidad, who is a half-sister to the 2004 World Champion Be A Bono. With Arriaga and Aleman teaming up, Political Ruffian won his 300-yard debut by a head while covering the distance in :15.797.

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