Page 52 - 28 September 2012

Pat hyland Memorial hcp.
seCReTly FaMous
by Tracy Gantz
if everyone could have Nicole Araya’s first racehorse ownership experience, plenty more would get into the business. Araya claimed Secretly Famous for
$12,500 on Aug. 11 and not only won with him the first time he ran for her, they captured the Sept. 8 Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap at Los Alamitos.
Secretly Famous wasn’t supposed to win. Bettors sent him off as the 21-1 sixth choice. Oscar Peinado broke Secretly Famous on top, and they vied with Airplane Gold and 2-1 favorite Beat This Chick early in the 350 yards. Secretly Famous edged away in the final few strides, winning by a half-length in :17.647.
Secretly Famous had come close in a couple of maiden-claiming races, and he broke his maiden in the race out of which Nicole Araya claimed him. Charles Treece saddled the gelding in the Hyland.
Vessels Stallion Farm LLC bred Secretly Famous from stakes-placed Secret Separation. The farm
sold Secretly Famous for $13,000 at the 2011 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. Secret Separation, a half-sister to All American Futurity-G1 winner No Secrets Here, has produced eight winners from nine starters, including Hez Our Secret, who finished second in this year’s All American Derby-G1.
Kolleen Ledgerwood’s Buy Buy (Stel Corona- Aquisitive) finished second for jockey Eddie Garcia and trainer Roberto Dominguez. Buy Buy recently won the California Breeders Freshman Fillies Stakes.
Francisco Vallejo owns and trains third-place Beat This Chick (Tres Seis-Beduinos Rusty). Eduardo Nicasio piloted the filly in the Hyland as well as when she finished second in the Ed Burke Juvenile.
Completing the field were Airplane Gold (Chicks Regard-Takin Some Gold), Blazindreams (Aladim Bryan SA-Dream Dasher), Trial Of Faith (Separatist- Celestial Being-TB), Mama Mia Bella (Royaltys Choice-Fed X Dash), and Check Cee Jay Out (Check Him Out-Cee Jays Cartel).
sgt Pepper Feature hcp.
PeRsoNal MissioN
by Tracy Gantz
world Champion Special Leader, bred and owned by Joe Kirk Fulton, scored the biggest victory of his career at Los Alamitos in the 1991 Champion of Champions-G1. Thus it was fitting that Personal Mission, a son of Special Leader also bred by Fulton, should win the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap at the same oval not long after the stallion died at age 25, especially since Sgt Pepper Feature also won the Champion of Champions in 1982.
Personal Mission didn’t find the stakes victory easy. Thinkrich N Royal, the 2-1 favorite, took the early lead, with Personal Mission third between Thinkrich N Royal to his outside and Fols Jesse to his inside. Those three battled to the wire through- out the 350 yards, with Personal Mission coming on strongest at the end to score a neck victory in :17.433 under jockey Santiago Mendez.
Mario Loza trains Personal Mission for Jose Beltran and Guadalupe Gonzalez. Earlier this year, the colt captured the Huntington Beach Handicap. Fulton bred Personal Mission in Texas from winner Tantalizing Eyes. The mare has two winners from three starters. Personal Mission sold for $3,000 at the 2010 Heritage Place Yearling Sale to Reggie Anger, who owned and trained him early in his career.
Cruz Mendez piloted Thinkrich N Royal (First Down Dash-A Royal Goddess) to second for owner Felix Gonzalez and trainer Jose Moreno. A $16,000 claim in May, Thinkrich N Royal was coming off of two allowance victories.
Mesa Valley Farms LLC’s homebred Fols Jesse (Jesse James Jr-Sheza Jet Dash) finished third with Joel Cruz aboard. Mark Skeen trains the gelding.
Rounding out the field were Does She Ever (TR Dasher-She Reigns), Letty Bail Regis Out (Bail Me Out Baby-Artesias Merridoc), Ivlis (Snowbound-TB-Going Single), and Bellagio Babe (Holland Ease-Chicks Royal Goddess). Attack The Cartel was scratched.
Don steele Memorial
PyC Cash
by John Moorehouse
winless since his next to last out of 2011, PYC Cash picked a fine time to re-enter the win- ner’s circle in the $22,400 Don Steele Memorial on Sept. 8 at Will Rogers Downs.
This was the first stakes win for PYC Cash
in 15 outs. Last year, he was a finalist in both the Heritage Place Futurity-G1 and Black Gold Futurity Championship-RG3, and this year he was third in the Mr Master Bug Handicap, third in the Speedhorse Derby-G3, and fourth in the Jack Brooks Stakes-RG3.
Breaking from the seven gate in the Don Steele Memorial, PYC Cash grabbed the lead from the outset of the 350-yard competition. The gelding dug in, and jockey Jimmy Brooks kept PYC Cash in front, win- ning by three-quarters of a length in :17.619. Owners James Sills and Gerald Swindell took home $12,984 for the win. PYC Cash has now earned $85,313.
Bollenbach Farms bred PYC Cash, a gelding by PYC Paint Your Wagon, in Oklahoma out of graded stakes-placed Wallstreet Darlin, who has produced two stakes winners. The other is Grade 3 stakes win- ner Sassy Corona, a half-sister to PYC Cash who won four stakes races at Los Alamitos in 2005-2006.
Eddie D. Willis trains PYC Cash and runner-up BV Valentine Wagon (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Eyesa First), who was ridden by Kenny Muntz for owner Bella Vista Farms. Smokin Bye You (Sweet First Down-Eye My Alexis), a 16-1 longshot, took third place for David Clonts. The Guillermo Valdivia trainee had Alex Baldillez, Jr. aboard.
The remaining order of finish was First Prize Doc (PYC Paint Your Wagon-First Prize Dash), Mr Sippin Corona (Corona Cartel-Jesses Royal Dash), Trick On The Run (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Trickie Lassie), BV Eye Am First (Mr Eye Opener-Lady Telia), Troubador B (PYC Paint Your Wagon-Mega Dashablity) and Klassy Sassy (Country Chicks Man- Sassy Corona). Cypress City was scratched.
Los Alamitos • $25,000 350 yards • :17.647 • si 85
Mr Jess Perry
One Famous Eagle
One Famous Lady Separatist
SECRETLY FAMOUS, ’10-g. Secret Separation
Dicey Secret
Los Alamitos • $25,000 350 yards • :17.433 • si 91
Special Effort
Miss Eye Opener
Special Leader
PERSONAL MISSION, ’09-c.
Mr Eye Opener
Tantalizing Eyes
Trip To Vegas
Will Rogers Downs • $22,400 350 yards • :17.619 • si 96
Corona Cartel
PYC Paint Your Wagon
Dashin Follies Bully Bullion
PYC CASH, ‘09-g. Wallstreet Darlin
A Special Smith
52 SPEEDHORSE, September 28, 2012
Racing news
los alamitos
los alamitos
Kelly Johnston: Coady Photography