Lethal Cowboy 123 completely crushed his rivals to score a convincing victory in Sunday’s Grade 1, $142,900 Vessels Maturity at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JUNE 28, 2026– Redemption is a dish best served with devastating, gate-to-wire speed delivered perfectly straight as a string. After a heartbreaking loss by a mere nose in his previous local appearance in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship, the millionaire superstar Lethal Cowboy 123 completely crushed his rivals to score a convincing victory in Sunday’s Grade 1, $142,900 Vessels Maturity at Los Alamitos.

In the process, “The Cowboy” showed that he just might be the sheriff of the older Quarter Horse division at Los Alamitos, adding another big victory to his outstanding record in California. The dominant performance did more than just pad his bankroll. By capturing the 400-yard event, the 4-year-old son of Flying Cowboy 123 secured the coveted third "Golden Ticket" of the season. This victory guarantees him a presumptive invitation into the $700,000 Champion of Champions on December 12, the sport’s premier event for older Quarter Horses in the country.

Sent off as the heavy 1-2 favorite, Lethal Cowboy 123 broke cleanly from outside post position eight and took immediate control. Leading from start to finish, he always looked like the winner. He crossed the wire a commanding 3/4 lengths clear of his nearest chaser, Link Newcomb’s ageless Cattail Cove, who ran one of the best races of his career to secure second place. Stopping the clock in :19.689 over the fast track, Lethal Cowboy 123 earned $60,335 for his ownership group, which consists of Caliche Walls Venture, LLC, Alan Isbell, Lance Bland, and Jimmy Barton. He also proved once again that he loves nothing more than some good California home cooking.

Warming up prior to the race, winning jockey Edwin Escobedo knew he had a loaded weapon underneath him.

“Since he was warming up, I felt him really good," Escobedo remarked. "He was all business, focused and when the gates popped, he just flew and just kept on going. I just tried to stay out of his way. Once we went past the gap, he started pulling away from them. I just held on and stayed out of his way. He just kept on rolling. There was no way of stopping him. This is his favorite place ever. This is one of my favorite places to be at."

Trainer Marc Jungers was equally thrilled, especially given the quick turnaround and travel required to get the horse back to the West Coast.

“He looked really strong," Jungers said. "We shipped in from Remington Park (after the Debbie Schauff Remington Park Championship on May 30) and we got here as quickly as we could to get him to relax. It suited him well. He loves to be back here in California.”

When asked if drawing the outside post had caused any pre-race anxiety, Jungers admitted to feeling the pressure.

“Very much,” Jungers revealed. “That’s his attribute. Sometimes he likes to drift a little bit, but today he broke well and ran straight as a string. Watching the race a friend of mine midway said, ‘You’ve got it won.’ I told him, ‘We got nothing until we get to the wire.' We were very excited and he ran a great race. It’s a dream come true (to be in the Champion of Champions). It’s something special. We’ve been shooting for that for this horse and now we have a shot and see what happens."

Jungers also elaborated on why the superstar seems to reach another level whenever he steps foot onto the Cypress surface.

“He’s a Cal-bred. He was born here. We bought him here at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale. The climate suits him well. He eats well, he does well here and the guys from the team that take care of him are just impeccable. They take care of him well and treat him like a king and he shows off for them out here when we ask him to. We’ll see how he pulls up. He’ll tell us what to do but we accomplished one of the tickets that we wanted. Maybe the Go Man Go or the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship will be next for him. He’s been training extremely well and (he’s looked good) since coming back from Oklahoma.”

Lethal Cowboy 123 has now won seven of his nine starts at Los Alamitos. For his career, the Veronica Gail Worth-bred runner has won 11 of 18 starts for earnings of $1,530,997.

While the winner dominated the headlines, the sentimental heart of the race, 9-year-old Cattail Cove, put on yet another spectacular show. Coming off a fairytale victory in the Grade 3 Kaweah Bar Handicap, Link Newcomb's ageless veteran handled his return against Grade 1 company with absolute class.

Breaking sharply under jockey Martin Arriaga, Cattail Cove chased the winner gamely from start to finish. He safely secured a clear second-place finish, crossing the line a decisive 3/4 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher. The runner-up performance earned $24,610, boosting his lifetime bankroll even further to $880,405. He has now finished third or better in 40 of his 62 career starts. Bred by Steve Burns, Cattail Cove was making his 60th appearance at Los Alamitos since his debut campaign in 2019.

Francos Ranch and Mario Tellez Montiel's Show N Tell Cartel finished a solid third to collect $17,465 with Cesar Franco in the irons. Fire Tools 123 mounted a steady effort to finish fourth under the guidance of Irving Lara and trainer Jose Flores. CD Horses, Robyn Gordon, and Flores campaign Fire Tools 123.

With another major piece of the puzzle solved for the Road to the Champion of Champions, Lethal Cowboy 123 can rest easy now with a presumptive spot in the $700,000 Champion of Champions officially locked away. Meanwhile, the track's favorite old-timer, Cattail Cove, proved again that there’s still plenty of blazing speed left for his display against the best of his division.

CM Jesse B A Cowboy checked in fifth, followed by Defending Champ in sixth, and Jess Being A Friend in seventh. The multi-stakes-winning, Idaho-bred Scoops Dynasty endured a difficult trip, stumbling sharply at the start and trailing from there to finish eighth. The newcomer Stetsonn was a late scratch from the race.

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