Ed Allred’s Zionsville, under jockey Cesar Ortega, posted the fastest qualifying time for the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity on Sunday night.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JUNE 1, 2026–There were many shining performances throughout an excellent night of trials for the $960,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity on Sunday at Los Alamitos, but none were brighter or faster than Ed Allred’s Zionsville. He posted the fastest qualifying time among the 105 juveniles who participated over a busy night of 12 trials.

Ridden by Cesar Ortega for trainer James Glenn Jr., Zionsville took control of the opening trial at the midway point of the 350-yard dash, pulling away to score a half-length victory over J. Francisco Diaz’s Flying Dynasty 123 in the top time of :17.739.

Bred by Steve Burns and James Markum, Zionsville was scoring his second victory in as many starts this season. The win also gave his sire, Mpshinning, the fastest Ed Burke qualifier for the second straight year; it was the multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed runner Shiny New who gave Mpshinning his bright moment in the Ed Burke trials last year.

This time around, Zionsville did the honors. The $120,000 purchase at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale finished the final 220 yards in :09.65 to establish himself as one of the horses to beat in the Father’s Day finale on Sunday, June 21.

CLICK HERE for the fastest 10 juveniles, with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys advancing to the Ed Burke final.

Mpshinning will certainly be a proud papa on Ed Burke night, as he’ll be the only sire with more than one qualifier in the field. In addition to Zionsville, Mpshinning will also be represented by Steve Burns and Jeryl Hartley’s Mp Jess Rockin, the winner of the sixth trial and the fourth-fastest qualifier with a time of :17.814. Bred by Ron or Jeryl Hartley, the filly is out of AQHA champion filly Cartel Jess Rockin, who won the 2019 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and has since developed into a prolific broodmare. Mp Jess Rockin will look to become her dam's first Grade 1 winner.

Nuclear Arsenal, under jockey Eduardo Nicasio, posted the second fastest time. © William Zuazo

Zionsville, meanwhile, will also look to become the first Grade 1 winner out of his dam, Remember The Rose, a daughter of Walk Thru Fire out of the great broodmare Remember Me Rose. Zionsville will aim to become his Hall of Fame owner’s first Ed Burke Allred-owned winner since Allred teamed up with Paul Jones to win the 2008 running with multiple champion Foose. Allred also won the Ed Burke with Mega Storm in 1995.

The gelding is one of three runners carrying Allred’s iconic gold, red, and black colors. The longtime patriarch of the famed Rolling A Ranch and the owner of Los Alamitos, Allred will also be represented in the Ed Burke by two homebreds: the Favorite Cartel colt Friend Indeed and the Golden Boi colt Faultless. Glenn will saddle Friend Indeed, who finished second to second-fastest qualifier Nuclear Arsenal, while Scott Willoughby trains Faultless, the winner of the eighth trial. Oscar Peinado rode Friend Indeed, while Faultless was piloted by Gabriel Lara.

J. Francisco Diaz’s Flying Dynasty 123 ran second to Zionsville, but his time of :17.809 was good enough to earn him the third-fastest qualifying spot. A son of Flying Cowboy 123, Flying Dynasty 123 has faced Zionsville in both of his career starts, chasing the talented winner each time.

The connections of Flying Dynasty 123 will happily take this runner-up effort if it gives them another chance to defeat Zionsville—an opportunity that comes next in the Ed Burke final. Jose Vicente Robles bred the Oklahoma-registered gelding, who was purchased for $50,000 at the Heritage Place Sale.

Diaz, who won the Ed Burke in partnership with Jose Flores in 2019 with Flokie, will have a trio of starters in the race on Father’s Day. His other contenders are the unbeaten Cv Fdddinasty Shan, a Jga Racing Stables-bred FDD Dynasty gelding who has won both of his career starts, including a neck victory in the 12th trial, and Diaz’s homebred Foose filly, Dulce Luchadora, who finished second in her trial.

The owner will have plenty of reasons to be proud on Father’s Day, as his trio of runners will all be saddled by his son, trainer Lindolfo Diaz. All three of the Diaz runners were ridden by Armando Viramontes.

Owned by Dale Winterton and bred by Bobby Cox, the Inspyre colt Nuclear Arsenal has won two of his three career starts. His half-length victory over Friend Indeed in trial number seven came as a big surprise, as he was sent off at 10-1 odds. Trained by Paul Jones, Nuclear Arsenal showed his mettle in his career debut with a daylight victory.

He ran fourth in a very tough allowance event in his next start before coming through with his trial win in the second-fastest qualifying time. Eduardo Nicasio, one of the game’s top money riders, piloted the $20,000 purchase from the Heritage Place Sale.

The fairy tale continues for Miguel Osorio’s homebred Call Me Candela and 20-year-old rider Jose Rosario Alcala. The Call Me Cole filly won the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity by a nose on Mother’s Day, and she will now have a chance to win the Grade 1 Ed Burke on Father’s Day after holding off Dulce Luchadora by a nose in the third trial.

Alcala has a handful of Quarter Horse wins in his career, and three of those victories have come aboard Call Me Candela, who secured the sixth-fastest time of :17.836.

Pistol Whippin Pose’s Flying Sin Tacha, a filly by second-crop sire Dulce Sin Tacha, won trial number five by a head at 6-1 odds. Francisco Calderon, a two-time AQHA champion jockey, helped the Legacy Ranch-bred filly overcome a troubled start to win for the first time in two career starts. Her dam is the AQHA champion filly Flying Fig, who ran second in the Ed Burke back in 2010. Jose Flores trains Flying Sin Tacha.

Sergio Morfin saddled the previously mentioned filly Mp Jess Rockin, who was ridden by Ricardo Ramirez. The jockey won last year’s running of the Ed Burke with Jess Im Worth It for EG High Desert Farms.

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