LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 22, 2021—Owner Jim Schlagel, who enjoyed stakes winning success in the mid-1990s with his homebred Rainbow Sun, will race El Mysterio in the trials to the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge (see related story) on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

El Mysterio will enter with the experience of having won his Governor's Cup Futurity trial two weeks ago. In the winner's circle, Schlagel talked about his young runner and returning to the sport of Quarter Horse racing, which is an experience that he has always enjoyed.

"(El Mysterio) had trouble in his (early) starts," Schlagel said. "Especially his last one (before his trial win) when he got pinched off and impeded. We drew the rail in his first two starts and they were pretty good starts, but he had never had a clean trip. This was pretty clean. Not a super clean trip. His mom is a Thoroughbred. He was able to finish tonight. I think the longer they go the better he should beat."

A native of San Dimas, California, Schlagel started in Quarter Horse racing in the early 1990s. He bred the Calyx gelding Rainbow Sun, who won the Grade 1 El Primero Del Ano Derby in 1994. The owner switched to Thoroughbreds through the first decade of the 2000s before taking a break.

"I just had the itch after being out of racing. I called (trainer) Paul Jones and we looked at yearlings at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale. I had my eye on two horses and we bought one in El Mysterio. I'm back because I had so much fun here. I wanted to give it one more shot."

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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.