Page 131 - March 2017

Los Alamitos Winter Championship-G1
BH LISAS BOY
by Tracy Gantz
It was unlucky enough that Bill Hoburg’s home- bred BH Lisas Boy came close without success last year to earning a berth in the Champion of Champions-G1 at Los Alamitos. But then in his
first try for a berth in 2017, the gelding had to face Champion Zoomin For Spuds, winner of the 2016 Champion of Champions.
No one told BH Lisas Boy what he was up against in the Feb. 19 Los Alamitos Winter Championship-G1. In a race that was postponed 2 days due to a ferocious rainstorm in Southern California, BH Lisas Boy went out & grabbed that berth to the 2017 Champion of Champions.
BH Lisas Boy qualified fastest in his Jan. 27 trial with a wire-to-wire 1 1/2-length victory, which led to his being favored in the final over Zoomin For Spuds. BH Lisas Boy drew post 9 and Zoomin For Spuds had the rail. When the gates opened, BH Lisas Boy broke out, bumping slightly with Stevie B First Cash. Jockey Cesar DeAlba got BH Lisas Boy to recover quickly & move to the front. They dueled with Zoomin For Spuds & Jess A Pollitician, but BH Lisas Boy held his advantage, which he widened to 1/2-length at the wire. He completed the 400 yards in :19.629.
“The berth to the Champion of Champions means more than the money,” said Hoburg. “I don’t care about the purse tonight. It was all about the berth. That’s what I was after.”
BH Lisas Boy missed Champions of Champions berths last year when he finished 2nd in the Go
Man Go Handicap-G1, Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship-G1, & AQHA Challenge Championship-G1. He has won stakes in each of his 4 years of competition.
“I was very frustrated,”
Hoburg said. “I felt this
horse should have been in the Champion of Champions, but you have to win a berth. We didn’t win a berth. That was our fault.”
John Cooper, whose charges have included Champion Moonist, trains BH Lisas Boy. Hoburg and DeAlba collaborated to win the 2016 Winter Championship with Moonist.
“He reminds me a lot of Moonist,” said Cooper. “He has some of the same traits. I can’t say he’s hard to train. He has his own little ideas. He has the same groom as Moonist. Tubercio ‘T-bo’ Argueta was Moonist’s groom, and now he’s got BH Lisas Boy. T-bo loves this horse, and it makes a lot of difference how you take care of them.”
Hoburg called his horse opinionated. “But other than that, he’s a sweetheart,” he added. The
owner-breeder knows his horse well. Not only did he raise the gelding, he trained him when BH Lisas Boy raced through- out the Pacific Northwest. Hoburg bred BH Lisas Boy
in Idaho from winner Apollo Snowbound, dam of 5 starters/ winners, including Grade 1 winner Yin Your Eyes & stakes- placed BH Country Chrome.
Jim Walker’s homebred Zoomin For Spuds (Zooming
For Bux-A Perfect Cocktail) was 2nd under
Jesus Ayala for trainer Monty Arossa. The 2016 Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding, Zoomin For Spuds ended that year with 4 consecutive stakes wins. Rodrigo Aceves piloted Jess A Pollitician (Apollitical Jess-Royal Motions) to 3rd for trainer Jose Flores. Jose Nieves Garcia & breeder Janet McKinnerney own the gelding, who has won 6 races. Followed by Mr PYC To You (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Stylish Sign), He Looks Hot (Walk Thru Fire-Look Her Over), We Like Corona (Corona Cartel-Jess Jets), Stevie B First Cash (First Down Dash-Spit Curl Diva), Megatron Harry (Escondido Beach-Chicks Sweet Donna), Ima Fearless Hero (Valiant Hero-Dasha Freda) & Timely Delivery (Volcom-One Prompt Chick).
Los Alamitos Race Course $150,900 • 400 yards :19.629 • si 95
Mr Jess Perry
Mighty Invictus
Mighty B Doll
BH LISAS BOY, ’12-g.
Snowbound TB
Apollo Snowbound
Stars Lady Bug
BH Lisas Boy & Cesar DeAlba overcome a bumped start to win the $150,900 Los Alamitos Winter Championship-G1
SPEEDHORSE, March 2017 129
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