Page 206 - September 2020

RACING NEWS
John Deere LA Juv. Challenge
TRES A JESS
by Tracy Gantz
Third time was the charm for Tres A Jess, winner of the $ 50,691 John Deere Los Alamitos Juvenile Challenge on Aug. 15.
Second in his racing debut and third in his Aug. 1 trial behind the fastest two qualifiers, Apollitical Patty and Just A Dasha Hero, Tres A Jess scored in the final.
Sent away at 14-1 and ridden by Jonathan Roman, Tres A Jess broke first and led every step of the way. He increased his advantage throughout the 350-yard event, ultimately winning by 1 1/4-lengths in :17.609, posting a 94 speed index.
“When you enter in a race, you have a chance,” said Roman Figueroa, who trains Tres A Jess for owner Marco Hernandez. “I’m just glad we got a good trip and got to the winner’s circle.”
The $23,612 winner’s share of the purse boosted the colt’s total lifetime earnings to $25,777.
Gustavo De La Torre bred Tres A Jess out of unraced Pure Ruby. The mare has produced two winners in four starters with Tres A Jess being her first stakes winner. Tres A Jess descends from mul- tiple Champion Corona Chick, his fourth dam.
Royal Racy Perry (Volcom-Perrys Darling), ridden by Cruz Mendez, and Apollitical Patty (Apollitical Blood-A Perfect Cocktail), ridden by Armando Cervantex, dead-heated for second. Jose Flores trains Royal Racy Perry, a maiden with two earlier seconds, for owner Robert Gutke. Monty Arrossa trains Apollitical Patty, who previously was undefeated in three starts, for the Walker Family Trust, Jim Walker having bred the filly.
Delila Rose (Carters Cartel-Strawflying
Dina), KR Frosty (One Sweet Jess-KR Dragonfly), Transcendeur (Carters Cartel-A Shot At Glory), Jess Beautiful Fire (Mr Jess Perry-Beautiful Fire) and Ms Racy Eagle (One Famous Eagle-First Down Racy) completed the order of finish. Jest A Dasha Hero was scratched.
Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap
COUNTING THE WAYS
by Tracy Gantz
Counting The Ways’ female family abounds in black type. So, when he became a stakes win- ner in the $20,000 Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap
at Los Alamitos on Aug. 23, he demonstrated what a bargain he was at $24,000.
Trainer Jose Flores bought Counting The Ways as a yearling from breeder Dr. Ed Allred at the 2019 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. Joining Flores in the pur- chase were Guadalupe Bujanda, Cesar Dabdoub, and Julio Encinas. All four race the gelding, with Flores as the conditioner.
Counting The Ways broke his maiden in his first start, yet he was a 15-1 longshot in the 350-yard Pat Hyland. With Cruz Mendez aboard, he broke third, drifted out late, and still won by a head in :17.635, posting a 93 speed index.
Flores purchased California-bred Counting The Ways because he likes foals out of Allred’s mare Million Ways, having trained her stakes-placed daughter Six Zeroes. The mare has produced 10 winners from 14 starters, including stakes winners Pile Of Money and Million Maid and stakes-placed Shalimar Roger. The third dam is Seperate Ways, the 2000 Champion Broodmare and dam of Champion Separatist.
Reliance Ranches LLC’s homebred SC Divas Cartel Man (Corona Cartel-Spit Curl Diva) finished second. Oscar Peinado rode the gelding for trainer Mike Robbins. SC Divas Cartel Man won his trial for the Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1, qualify-
ing for the final. Lucky Seven Ranch’s homebred Sassies Blues Girl (Favorite Cartel-Sass Me Blue)
ran third for jockey Oscar Andrade Jr. and trainer Mike Casselman. The filly had won two of her three previous races.
Favorite Colossus (Favorite Cartel-Warm It Up) finished fourth, and A Solid Reason (Good Reason SA-Strawfly Lady) finished fifth. Dreamland Express was scratched.
Flight 109 Handicap
TEQUILA SANGRIA
by Tracy Gantz
Tequila Sangria took several months off earlier this year so that owner-breeder Dr. Steve Burns could pull some embryos from the graded stakes-winning filly. Tequila Sangria returned to the track and picked up right where she left off—with a victory, in this case in the $15,000 Flight 109 Handicap at Los Alamitos on Aug. 9.
Jockey Jesus Ayala broke Tequila Sangria out
of the gate in second and immediately went to the front. From there, no one could catch the swift 4-year-old filly, who scored by 3/4-length in :17.483 for 350 yards, posting a 98 speed index.
Mike Casselman trains Tequila Sangria for Burns. Tequila Sangria in January captured the Charger Bar Handicap-G1. She also won the 2019 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1 and Big Lew Handicap and qualified for the 2019 Champion of Champions-G1 and 2018 Golden State Million Futurity-G1.
Burns bred Tequila Sangria out of Ynot Bar. The stakes-placed mare has produced 13 winners in 19 starters, including Grade 1 winner Ynot Walk and winner Dont Pass Bar, the dam of Champion Quirky.
Hot Little Kiddy (Kiddy Up-Girls Choice), ridden by Vinnie Bednar, owned by Dr. Ed Allred and trained by Jimmy Glenn, finished second. The 4-year-old filly has won twice previously, with four seconds and one third.
Erasmo Gasca rode Badhabit Jess (Mr Jess Perry-Sheza Bad Habit) to third for owner Carlos Avalos and trainer Yanet Rodriguez. Badhabit
Jess finished second in the 2019 Lovington Stakes-G2 and qualified to the 2018 All American Futurity-G1.
Completing the field were One Last Chance (Favorite Cartel-Forgive Him), Jimbosecret (No Secrets Here-Rare Encore), and Corona Jumpim MRL (Corona For Me-Ipanema Gold).
Los Alamitos • $51,332 350 yards • :17.609 • si 94
Mr Jess Perry
One Sweet Jess
TRES A JESS, ‘18-c. Pure Ruby
One Sweet Dash Tres Seis
Pure Dazzle
Los Alamitos • $20,000 350 yards • :17.635 • si 93
Favorite Trick TB
Favorite Cartel
COUNTING THE WAYS, ‘18-g.
Raise A Secret
Shenoshercorona
Million Ways
Making Ways
Los Alamitos • $15,000 350 yards • :17.483 • si 98
Favorite Trick TB
Favorite Cartel
TEQUILA SANGRIA, ‘16-f. Ynot Bar
Shenoshercorona Chicks Beduino Fames Easy
204 SPEEDHORSE September 2020
Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos