Favorite Jesshawk And Winners Share Are Top Qualifiers In Governor's Cup Series

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JULY 6, 2024–EG High Desert Farms' Favorite Jesshawk was outstanding during the second half of his trial to the $275,000 Governor's Cup Futurity, taking command near the midway point of the 350-yard race and from there scoring a neck victory while posting the fastest qualifying time to the futurity for California-breds on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Favorite Jesshawk's victory will help spotlight the young stallion A Mere Felix, as he gave the first-year sire his first futurity qualifier of his career.

A son of the great stallion and stakes winner Favorite Cartel, A Mere Felix is a half-brother to 2008 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby winner A Mere Chocolate and Grade 3 Vandy's Flash Handicap winner A Mere Splash.

In his racing career, A Mere Felix won the Pat Hyland Handicap while finishing in the money in six of his eight career starts. A Mere Felix, who stands at EG High Desert Farms for $2,500, has also sired maiden winners Coco Ravin and A Mere Dash.

Ridden by Ricardo Ramirez and trained by Jesus Nunez, Favorite Jesshawk covered the 350 yards in :17.719. The EG High Desert Farms homebred has won back-to-back starts and two of his four career outings. For Ramirez, Favorite Jesshawk was the cherry on the cake of a great Saturday of riding.

The pilot won three Thoroughbred races during the daytime card of the Los Angeles County Fair Meet at Los Alamitos before returning at night to win two races, including a trial to the Governor's Cup Derby aboard the Burns Ranch-owned runner Market Analyst.

A total of 36 juveniles competed in the five trials with the horses with 10 fastest times returning for the Governor's Cup Futurity final to be held on California Breeders Champions Night on Saturday, July 27.

Not surprisingly, six of the 10 qualifiers to the Governor's Cup Futurity were sired by the great California-based stallion Favorite Cartel.

His winning progeny on this night included Travis and Wendy Sexton's Midnight Mood, who won the third of five trials with Armando Cervantes up for trainer Monty Arrossa. Out of the Walk Thru Fire mare Weownthenite, Midnight Mood covered the distance in the third fastest qualifying time of :17.856.

Favorite Cartel also sired trial winners Naïve, owned by Cade Burns, and Malynche, owned by Alipio Burgos and Jorge Quintero. Naïve, a filly by Knocking On The Door, won the fifth trial in the fourth fastest time of :17.904, while Malynche, a filly out of the Walk Thru Fire mare Pyromancer, had the fifth fastest time of :17.922. Trainer Mike Casselman saddled Naive, while Lindolfo Diaz trains Malynche.

Steve Burns' Competent, who ran second to Favorite Jesshawk, was the second fastest qualifier of the night in :17.763. Also trained by Casselman and ridden by Cruz Mendez, Competent is a filly by Seperate Interest out of Sex On Fire.

The list of qualifiers also featured Reliances Ranches' Snow Bound, a half-brother to the great BH Lisas Boy. Purchased for $245,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, the Favorite Cartel colt out of Apollos Snowbound will have a chance to earn a lot of her purchase price back when he returns for the Futurity final. Snow Bound ran third behind Naïve and the Ed Allred homebred Listen Now in the final trial.

In addition to A Mere Felix, Favorite Cartel and Seperate Interest, the other stallions with qualifiers are Kiddy Up and Fly Thru The Fire.

Kiddy Up will look to have his second stakes winner of the meet after Dunn Ranch's Party Time Tom, a full brother to Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity winner Up To Party, qualified to the final after running second to Malynche in the first trial.

Fly Thru The Fire will be represented by the previously mentioned Listen Now, who is owned and bred by Ed Allred.

CLICK HERE for the complete list of qualifiers, with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys to the Governor's Cup Futurity.

Winners Share Tops Governor's Cup Derby Trials

Trainer Mike Casselman won the Governor's Cup Futurity last year with his homebred You Can See That.

The trainer will now look to win the Governor's Cup Derby for the first time after saddling Winners Share and Market Analyst to victory in the two trials to the 400-yard derby. Cade Burns' Winners Share won the opening trial while posting the top time of :19.980 while Steve Burns' Market Analyst had the fourth fastest time after winning the other trial in :20.052. Casselman's You See That also advanced to the final after running fourth to Market Analyst.

Multiple graded derby finalist Boardwalk, a full brother to Grade 1 winner Sicario V, and J. Francisco Diaz's Checkn Cartel, a two-time Grade 1 stakes finalist, finished in a dead-heat for second behind Winners Share the opening trial, and also tied with the second fastest qualifying time of :20.028,

Change Happens, who ran in the Ed Burke last year, and Optical Illusion, who has now qualified to five stakes races at Los Alamitos including the Two Million last year, finished with the fifth and sixth fastest qualifying time.

CLICK HERE for the complete list of qualifiers, with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys to the Governor's Cup Derby.

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