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Far Niente To Make 2016 Debut In Saturday’s Independence Day Handicap
Far Niente will start in the $25,000 Independence Day Handicap on Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Scott Martinez
Far Niente To Make 2016 Debut In Saturday’s Independence Day Handicap

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JUNE 30, 2016—The running of the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity will be held on Sunday evening at Los Alamitos and for the first time since 2013 the field will not feature its two-time defending champion Far Niente.

Owned by Tom Atwood and John Wells, Far Niente did not compete in the trials to the Vessels Maturity held on June 12, but that does not mean he will not be racing this weekend.

The gelding by FDD Dynasty will instead race here in the $25,000 Independence Day Handicap on Saturday night, a race that will mark his 2016 debut and will serve as his first start since running fifth in the $600,000 Champion of Champions on December 12.

Far Niente’s connections decided to give the gray gelding ample time off after a busy 2015 campaign in which he made seven starts, five of them in graded stakes events. The Independence Day will be contested at 300 yards and will feature a seven-horse field.

“It’s tough not to see him in the Vessels Maturity,” said trainer Jose Hernandez, Jr. “But the idea was to give him plenty of rest so that we can have a very strong horse for the second half of the year.”

Far Niente won the 2014 Vessels Maturity by 3/4-lengths and last year’s Vessels final by an impressive 1¼-lengths against a field that included Moonist. He also ran second to Moonist in the Grade 1 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship.

“Far Niente is one of those horses that just loves to run fresh,” Hernandez, Jr. said. “We gave him time off and he ran great fresh in both 2013 and 2014. The Independence Day is at 300 yards and he’s only made two career starts at that distance. It’ll be interesting to see how he does, but since he has not raced all year the 300 yards is a nice way to get his year started.”

Far Niente, who has made 17 career starts at distances of 400 yards or more, has a busy six months ahead.

“We’ll be pointing him to the Bank of America California Challenge Championship (August 14), Los Alamitos Championship and perhaps the Go Man Go Handicap,” the trainer added. “We’d love to see him run in the Champion of Champions again.”

Bielau Oaks Ranch bred the earner of nearly $472,000 in Texas from the Chicks Beduino mare Shahayla.

The Independence Day field will also feature reigning California Challenge winner Jake Gold BR, Grade 1 winner BF Farm Boss, Holiday Handicap winner Viento Negro, plus Lotta Dynasty, Foosilame, and Sugardaddy B.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.