Mask Mandate Delivers 18-1 Upset Over Lethal Cowboy 123 In Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap

Making his first start of the season, Paul Blanchard, Guadalupe Bujanda, Jose Antonio Flores, and Santos Montemayor’s Mask Mandate delivered a stunning performance at Los Alamitos, upsetting heavy favorite Lethal Cowboy 123 by a half-length in the Grade 1, $75,000 Go Man Go Handicap at 400 yards on Sunday night. Sent off at 18-1 odds, the 5-year-old gelding rewarded his backers with a $38.60 win payout.

Ridden by Irving Lara for trainer Jose Flores, Mask Mandate broke sharply from the outside post eight and continued with quick turn of foot throughout. Chasing the early flyer Astronomical 123 during the first half of the race, he eventually surged ahead and was never challenged from there while crossing the wire in :19.782. He earned $41,250 for the victory to boost his career earnings to $184,085.

The son of Favorite Cartel out of the champion aged mare Quirky has a knack for delivering special victories for Flores. Bred in California by Steve D. Burns, Mask Mandate previously gave Flores his 100th career stakes win at Los Alamitos when he captured the 2024 Governor's Cup Derby. Though the gelding had not visited the winner’s circle since that Derby score, he remained competitive in top company, including a placing in the Grade 2 Golden State Derby.

Mask Mandate had not started since competing in the First Down Dash Handicap last December, but he signaled his readiness with a sharp 350-yard gate work in :17.80 on August 5.

"All my respect to every horse in this race," Flores said after the win. "I know how hard it is to win these races and I know how special it is to win them. We've had different issues with him. He's always had the talent. He's out of a great mare and a great stallion. I'd like to thank (Dr. Burns) for breeding such a good horse. I'd like to thank my partners on him for always having patience and being so patient with me over the years. Sometimes things don't work out the way we want them to, but today they did. I'm so happy for the whole team—my barn works very hard—and it feels good to win the Go Man Go again."

Flores noted that the August 5 drill gave him plenty of confidence entering Sunday’s feature.

"When he worked :17.80 and did it so easy, I was very pleased with the horse," Flores added. "I knew he had the talent and today he showed it. He got a great outside post, he drifted out a little bit but corrected himself and finished so strong. He was awesome. People said, 'You should be in shock,' but I'm not in a whole lot of shock. I'm super happy. I remember that he won the Governor's Cup so easy."

Lethal Cowboy 123, sent off as the 1-2 favorite, finished second after a hard-charging effort. Ridden by Edwin Escobedo for trainer Marc Jungers, the millionaire champion was in contention throughout but never led the race. He broke third behind Astronomical 123 and Mask Mandate, and after moving ahead of Astronomical 123, he was still left chasing the eventual winner. Lethal Cowboy 123 finished strong in the late stages to secure the $16,875 runner-up check, bringing his career bankroll to $1,547,872.

Making his Grade 1 debut, Jo Rae Burns’ Astronomical 123 delivered a tremendous performance to finish third. Guided by Martin Arriaga for trainer Michael Casselman, the 4-year-old gelding broke second behind Mask Mandate and took the lead for the next 250 yards. Though overtaken in the final part of the race, the two-time local stakes winner held on well to earn $9,375 for third.

Rounding out the order of finish were Winners Share in fourth, followed by Invasive, two-time Go Man Go winner Scoops Dynasty, Defending Champ, and Special Batch.

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