Page 165 - August 2015

Vessels Maturity-G1
FAR NIENTE
by Tracy Gantz
Far Niente is so talented that an overwhelm- ing favorite such as Moonist had better make no mistakes. Unfortunately for Moonist,
he false broke at the start of the July 5 Vessels Maturity-G1 and Far Niente was able to win the Los Alamitos fixture for the 2nd consecutive time.
Jose Hernandez Jr., who trains Far Niente for owners John Wells and Atwood Ranches, knows what a threat Moonist
posed. “We were going
against the best horse in the
country in Moonist, and we
didn’t know if we could beat
him,” he said.
When the gate opened, Far Niente broke 3rd for jockey Eduardo Nicasio. Moonist’s false break shuffled him back to last. Far Niente quickly took the lead and he kept on going. Nicasio hand rode him to the wire to win by 1 1/4 lengths in :19.586.
“I was cheering loud for Far Niente during the race,” said Hernandez. “I’m always cool and laid back and I try not to show much emotion during races, but this was different.”
The win not only gave Far Niente a second Vessels Maturity, putting him in company with Be A Bono, A Ransom, and Jazzing Hi, but he earned a berth to the Champion of
Champions-G1 on Dec. 12. Far Niente also won the 2013 Golden State Derby-G1.
“At this point in my life it’s unbelievable to have a horse like this one,” said Wells. “He blew me away tonight.”
Wells trained Far Niente early in the gelding’s career. He retired from training in 2013, turning his stable over to Hernandez. Wells’ father worked with Frank Vessels, making the win even sweeter.
Bielau Oaks bred Far Niente
in Texas from graded stakes winner Shahayla, dam of 11 winners from 15 starters including stakes winners Finding Nemo & Deepwater B.
Ed Allred’s Well And Good (Separatist-How Good), winner of this year’s Scott Lewis H.,
was 2nd under Eulices Gomez for trainer Scott Willoughby. Champion Moonist (Separatist-Your First Moon), the fastest qualifier and favorite, was 3rd under Cesar DeAlba for Ronald Hartley & trainer John Cooper. Moonist had won his past three outs, including the Kaweah Bar H.-G3 & Katella H. Followed by Jake Gold Br (Gold Medal Jess-Charlotte Bryan), Joe Legacy (Brookstone Bay-A Diamond Legacy), Jiffy James (Jesse
James Jr-Ms Klee), Seperate Interest (Separatist-A Delightful Legacy), Remarkableyesapoweer (Eyesa Special-Remarkable Power) & Kokomo Beach (Ivory James-Beauty N The Beach). Last To Fire scratched.
Los Alamitos $145,500 • 400 yards :19.586 • si 95
First Down Dash
FDD Dynasty
Dinastia Toll Brz
FAR NIENTE, ’10-g.
Chicks Beduino
Shahayla
Myrtles Band
RACING NEWS
Governor’s Cup Derby-RG3
FORGET IT
by Michael Compton
Trainer Jaime Gomez figured that his charge Forget It, campaigned in partnership with Dutch Masters III, didn’t fire his best shot in the trials for the $190,000 Governor’s Cup Derby-RG3, back on July 12. Forget It cap- tured his trial dash anyway.
“I knew that he would be a little short in the trials,” Gomez said. “I didn’t think it, I knew
it. He still won the trial, and when he did that, I knew that he was going to
run big in the final. We had
a lot of horse left after the tri-
als. He was coming into this
race in great form.”
Forget It left little doubt
he was best in the final on
July 25. With Carlos Huerta up, Forget It dueled through- out after breaking from the outside in post. He raced in 2nd position in the early stages of the 400-yard fixture before forging to the front in the lane.
Sent off as the race favorite, Forget It drew clear late to defeat a hard-trying Bac In Front by a 1/2-length at the finish, stopping the timer in :19.578, which was good for a speed index of 95.
“I thought being on the outside would be per- fect for this horse,” Gomez said. “He doesn’t like traffic; he likes running by himself. I got a little confident for the derby trials and just ran him off a workout. But I didn’t want to give him a start
before the trials, run him in the trials, and then run him 2 weeks later in the final. We just paid the late fee ($30,000) to make him eligible for the Los Alamitos Super Derby, so we have to plan for the race now. I think we made a good decision getting in the Super Derby, but now we’ll give him time off.”
Winner of the El Primero Del Ano Derby-G3 in April, Forget It picked up $79,800, which boosted his lifetime
bankroll to $363,103. He is now a winner in 7 of 11 career starts and has placed in 3 others. Forget It hails from a family with an affinity
for Los Alamitos. His dam, Forgive Him, won
7 of 18 starts & captured the 2008 La Primera Del Ano D.-G1 at Los Al, as well as 3 other
stakes events. Forgive Him is also the dam of She Forgives, who won the 2013 Holiday H. at Los Al.
Bac In Front (Foose-Running Bac), also trained by Gomez, was 2nd under Rodrigo Aceves for Francisco Vega. Kickin Your Can (Walk Thru Fire-Katie Katella) was 3rd under Cesar De Alba for Robert Parra & trainer Valentin Zamudio. Followed by Take A Look (Separatist- Look Her Over), Off Beat (Foose-Mummy), Fiery Kimbo (Walk Thru Fure-Kimbo With Class), Old Six Six (Walk Thru Fire-Kingman Kin), Daze Go By (First Down Dash- Pushing Dazies), Old Girl (Stel Corona-Female First) & Chicanery (Stel Corona-California Wildfire).
Los Alamitos $190,000 • 400 yards :19.578 • si 95
Stel Corona
Foose
Summertime Quickie
FORGET IT, ‘12-g.
Hawkinson
Forgive Him
Making Up
SPEEDHORSE, August 2015 163
Los Alamitos Los Alamitos