Challenge


John Deere California Juvenile Trials And Tami Purcell Handicap On Tap
Dasha Good Reason will look to make it a perfect three-for-three when he starts in the second of two trials for the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge at Los Alamitos Saturday night.

© Scot Martinez
John Deere California Juvenile Trials And Tami Purcell Handicap On Tap

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 22, 2021—A strong nine-race card featuring a pair of trials to the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge and the running of the $15,000 Tami Purcell Handicap for 3-year-old fillies will headline the Saturday night action at Los Alamitos. The first race on the card will follow the final afternoon race at Del Mar.

Nineteen 2-year-olds will race in a pair of trials to the John Deere with the outstanding broodmare Dasha Freda, the dam of 2015 AQHA World Champion Heza Dasha Fire, being represented by two of her promising colts. In the second trial, which is slated as the eighth race on the card, Dasha Good Reason will look to make it a perfect three for three when heading this 350-yard dash.

The son of Good Reason SA won his maiden by an impressive 1-½ lengths and then returned to score a solid neck victory in a trial to the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity. Owned by Robyn Gordon, Juan H. Moya and S-Quarter K LLC, Dasha Good Reason has been terrific the longer his races go.

However, he’ll need a flying start to hold off a solid field that includes daylight maiden winner PF Racing Stables’ Freighttrain Cartel, Jim Schalagel’s Governor’s Cup Futurity trial winner El Mysterio, and Jose Flores and George Seward’s Good Trouble, who was third to Ed Burke Million winner Golden Boi when they met in a trial to that race.

Dasha Freda’s other colt is Dasha Dynasty, a son of FDD Dynasty, who’ll be in action in the opening heat, which is race number seven. Unlike Dasha Good Reason, Dasha Dynasty has yet to visit the winner’s circle in his two outings, but he’s runner-up behind Black Coffeee in both of his races, including a troubled second when they met in the trials to the Ed Burke Million. Dasha Dynasty has an outside post for this event and if he can avoid a misadventure here, he will be fighting for the win.

This is a quality group, as it will also feature a pair of futurity trial winners in David Hinkins’ Unavailable and Reliance Ranches’ Brokenhearttattoo. After winning his Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity trial, Brokenhearttattoo ran a troubled-filled fourth in an allowance test on June 19, while the Adan Farias-trained Unavailable has been waiting for this race since scoring in the Ed Burke trials. The horses with the 10 fastest times will return here for the John Deere final on August 14.

In the ninth and final, seven sophomore fillies have signed up for the Tami Purcell at 350 yards. Leading this group will be J Best Boogie, who ran third in last year’s Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, but has not raced since then, and A Dash Of Sign, who was second in the Adequan California Derby in her last start. Gotta Corona Jess, who has won her last three starts, is another top contender in this event.

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For more info, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.