BEUTEEFUL DOMINATES GRADE 1 MILDRED VESSELS MEMORIAL; FILLY EARNS PRESUMPTIVE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS BERTH

The field assembled for Saturday night's Grade 1, $100,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap at Los Alamitos Race Course was arguably one of the most formidable, deep, and talent-laden lineups in the storied history of the 400-yard classic. Bringing together multiple Grade 1 winners and distaffers boasting exceptional recent form, this year’s renewal figured to be a classic showdown, with the winner earning a presumptive berth to the Grade 1 Champion of Champions.

Yet, when the gate flew open, it was the lone 3-year-old filly in the full field of 10 who dominated the show. Keith W. Nellesen’s Beuteeful ran as pretty as her name and looks indicate, taking control early, asserting dominance mid-stretch, and powering away to secure a decisive 1¼-length victory over nine older mares. Gentry Farms’ Bold N Beautiful finished second, while Jackpot Farms’ Curl Happy Wagon ran third. Shaken Goin On, the slight favorite in the race, broke on the lead but lost ground late on the way to finishing sixth.

Ridden by Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo for trainer Kristen Watanabe, the gray daughter of Kvn Corona stopped the clock in :19.440, posting the fastest time in this race since Robert Gentry’s Fovee won the 2011 renewal in that exact time.

Beuteeful’s powerhouse performance earned her the $55,000 winner's share of the purse and boosted her lifetime earnings past the half-million mark to $602,515. Sent off as the second choice at 5-2 odds, Beuteeful returned $7.60, $5.00, and $3.40 to her backers.

“To be honest, she honors her name of Beuteeful,” said winning jockey Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo. “She is beautiful and fast. She’s a fantastic filly. She’s too much filly. I think she was on the lead right after the start. She was running so strong the entire way. She never let up, and the longer the race, the better she was. The way she ran was just spectacular.”

Beuteeful now joins Favorite Jesshawk, Empressum, Lethal Cowboy 123, and Effortless Favorite as runners with presumptive berths to this year’s Champion of Champions. Sigala Vallejo has ridden Empressum in previous Champion of Champions victories, and by all accounts, it appears he will have a difficult decision to make regarding which horse he will pilot in that prestigious race.

“There’s still a lot of time before the Champion of Champions,” Sigala Vallejo said. “There’ll be a hard decision to make, but we’ll see what happens.”

In 2025, it was the sophomore filly Hott Temptation who upset older rivals to win the Mildred Vessels. This time, Beuteeful’s performance was even more remarkable due to her complete and utter dominance against an outstanding field that included AQHA champion Shaken Goin On, recent 440-yard stakes winner Bold N Beautiful, multiple Grade 1 winner Rockin With Energy, and many others.

Bred in Utah by McColee Land & Livestock LLC out of the mare Budder Think Twice, Beuteeful now boasts an impressive career record of nine wins from 12 lifetime starts. The victory marks her second Grade 1 title at Los Alamitos this season following her triumph in the $415,500 Los Alamitos Oaks in late March. As a juvenile, she captured the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity and qualified for both the Golden State Million Futurity (G1) and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1). She entered the Mildred Vessels following a solid third-place finish in the Rainbow Oaks at Albuquerque. Back at the Cypress oval, Beuteeful ensured that for the second consecutive year, the track's premier handicap for distaffers went to a sophomore filly.

“This night belongs to this great filly, and to be honest, she deserves it,” Sigala Vallejo added.

Bold N Beautiful, a 4-year-old filly trained by Juan G. Aleman for Gentry Farms, finished second. After breaking slightly inward, Bold N Beautiful settled in fifth early before ranging up into second at mid-stretch under Eduardo Nicasio. She gave chase throughout the stretch, finishing a neck ahead of the rest to earn $22,500 for her runner-up effort at 6.80-1 odds.

Bold N Beautiful came into the race following a big-time score in the Grade 2 AQHA Racing California Regional Challenge, where she defeated males over 440 yards to become the first mare to win that race since 2010. She now has 14 top three finishes from 20 career starts with $239,437 in earnings.

Jackpot Farms’ Curl Happy Wagon closed resolutely from eighth early to grab third place, earning $12,500. Trained by Watanabe and ridden by Francisco Calderon, the 4-year-old Favorite Cartel mare was attempting to emulate her dam, Curls Happy Wagon, who won the Mildred Vessels in 2020 for Aleman. She improved her career earnings to $154,760.

Gentry Farms' Ohana Spirit, also trained by Aleman, ran a steady race along a wide path under Martin Arriaga to finish fourth, earning $7,500. AJ Flawless finished fifth for trainer Marc E. Jungers under Edwin Escobedo.

Post-time favorite Shaken Goin On (2.30-1), the reigning AQHA Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and 2025 PCQHRA Horse of the Year, finished sixth. Trained by Eddie D. Willis and ridden by Justine Klaiber, the 4-year-old daughter of Freighttrain B brushed slightly at the start, took an early lead, but lacked her usual finishing kick in the final stages. The loss snapped her five-race winning streak at Los Alamitos. Interestingly, her only two losses at the track came in the Mildred Vessels, having placed third in the 2025 edition. She holds a career record of 12 wins from 20 starts and $475,470 in earnings.

Rounding out the order of finish were Silver Bac in seventh, two-time Charger Bar Handicap winner Rockin With Energy in eighth, Quick She Is in ninth, and Budder Off Friends in tenth.

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