No Debate Here: Mayor Humdinger Impresses In Town Policy

On a week dominated by election Tuesday, perhaps it was appropriate that one of the final races of the weekend was won by the "Mayor."

Bred, owned, and trained by Mike Casselman, Mayor Humdinger proved he remains a top candidate in any field, scoring a solid half-length victory in the $30,000 Town Policy Handicap at 400 yards on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Martin Arriaga from post nine, Mayor Humdinger broke inward and bumped at the start before settling about a length off the early pace. He surged at the midway point to take a head lead and proved best late, stopping the clock in :19.680. Sent off as the 6-5 favorite, the California-bred brown gelding by Mpshinning out of Mindys Favorite earned $16,500 for the win, boosting his career earnings to $182,215.

Mayor Humdinger improved his career record to six wins from 10 starts. The Town Policy marks his third career stakes victory, adding to his credentials alongside the Restricted Grade 1 Governor’s Cup Futurity last year and the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap on August 22. He entered Sunday’s feature after stepping up to face the track’s top older horses in the Grade 1 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, where he finished ninth.

"He's been training really good and Martin has done us a really good job," Casselman said. "We've been wanting to get him a race and we found a place for him. Now we'll point him for the trials for the Southern California Derby. In the (Invitational), I don't think we got a good go away from the gate. It was a little disappointing. We thought he might run a nice race in there. We decided to spend a lot of time in the gate with him to make sure we were good to go there."

Mathew Gonzales' Flying Chance finished second in his Los Alamitos debut. Ridden by Joseph Belloc, Jr. for trainer James J. Gonzales, II, the Flying Cowboy 123 gelding proved ultra-steady in his first local outing, breaking cleanly from post eight and holding the runner-up position throughout to earn $6,750. Bred in Texas by Tyler & Naia Graham, Flying Chance has now finished third or better in seven of nine career starts, pushing his earnings past the six-figure milestone to $100,735.

Turnpike Jammer, owned by Carla Akers and Randy D. Perkins, broke sharply from post three under Damian Diaz Cruz to lead narrowly in the early stages before holding on for third. Trained by Angela Aquino, the Paint Horse earned $3,750 for his third-place effort at 14-1 odds.

Stakes winner SM My Valentine was bumped from both sides after the break, lacked of room, and finished fourth ($2,250). Warmly, who broke through the gate prior to the start, finished fifth, followed by More Of It, Hurry Up, El Dictator, and FDD Perfect Strike.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Stay connected with the latest Quarter Horse racing news, stakes results, breeding updates, and industry developments at StallioneSearch.com. Sign up for our FREE email newsletter to receive the latest headlines delivered directly to your inbox.