Page 195 - August 2019

Calif. Brds. Debutante Stakes
BABY SPECIAL CORONA
by Tracy Gantz
It took Baby Special Corona six tries to break her maiden, but she truly stepped up once she figured it out. In her very next start after that initial victory,
Baby Special Corona became a stakes winner in the $25,000 California Breeders’ Debutante Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 27.
Julio De La Torre rode the filly for trainer Felix Gonzalez. Baby Special Corona broke third and went right to the lead. Though she drifted out, she wid- ened her advantage to 3/4-length at the wire. Baby Special Corona completed the 350 yards in :17.613, good for a 94 speed index.
Baby Special Corona brought home the $13,750 winner’s share of the purse, boosting her total life- time earnings to $22,110.
Jesus Daniel Padilla owns Baby Special Corona, and Hector Padilla bred her out of the placed mare Da One. The mare has produced seven winners in 12 starters, including stakes winners This Is Da One and Heza Dynasty and stakes-placed Shes Da One On Fire and Da One Two Special. The second dam, Such An Easy Effort, is a multiple graded stakes win- ner of $496,127.
Striver (Foose-Motherless) finished second under jockey Vinnie Bednar for trainer Scott Willoughby. Juan Carlos Chavez owns Striver, who won this year’s La Pacifica Handicap and Dreaming Sweet Handicap and the 2018 Stotz Equipment Stakes.
EG High Desert Farms’ homebred Mayas Signature (Fast Prize Cartel-Maya Red Hot) finished third. Luis Ramirez rode the filly for trainer Jesus Nunez. Mayas Signature had been competing well in allowance com- pany, having won or placed in eight of 12 starts.
Completing the field were Miss Montielita (Special Cartel-Miss Mongooseomatic), Quick To Royalty (Favorite Cartel-GM Silver Dreams) and Razzel Dazzel (Walk Thru Fire-Tac Out). Sassy Favorite was scratched.
Calif. Brds. Freshman Stakes
EL ANGEL CORONA
by Tracy Gantz
Enrique Gonzalez of EG High Desert Farms pur- chased the stakes-winning Special Leader mare Special Ela at the 2013 Heritage Place Winter Mixed
sale for $60,000. He thought she would cross well with his stallion Corona Czech. That proved to be the case when homebred El Angel Corona captured the $25,000 California Breeders Freshman Stakes at Los Alamitos on July 27.
With Luis Ramirez in the irons, El Angel Corona got away from the gate first, despite being fractious. Several others swarmed up toward the end of the 350 yards, but El Angel Corona held them at bay to win by a head in :17.779, posting a 90 speed index.
For trainer Jesus Nunez, El Angel Corona has been a consistent competitor. The colt has never finished worse than third in five starts and broke his maiden in May.
EG High Desert Farms bred El Angel Corona out of Special Ela, who has produced five winners in eight starters, including Weee, who was stakes-placed in Mexico. El Angel Corona is her first stakes winner.
Ruben Lozano rode Favorite Illusion (Favorite Cartel-Sweetest Illusion) to second for trainer Valentin Zamudio. Cream of the Crop Inc. owns the gelding, who broke his maiden in his only start prior to the California Breeders Freshman.
Dr. Ed Allred’s homebred Best Yet (Kiddy Up-Better Be Good) finished third. Vinnie Bednar rode the gelding for trainer Scott Willoughby. In three previous starts, Best Yet won once and ran second once.
Completing the field were Up And Coming (Kiddy Up-Hits Keep Coming), Tell Cartel (Favorite Cartel-Chicks Tell), Chayito Cartel (Favorite Cartel-Runnin In Traffic), Wrong Impression (Stel Corona-Fool The Boys), Diamond Rock (Parsons Rock-Might She Go), Corona Lake (Corona Czech- Shadow Lake TB) and Mister Tornado (Sports Cartel-Spanish Sola Mark).
Calif. Brds. 550 Stakes
WELL GOOD
by Tracy Gantz
Well Good has improved tremendously this year. His victory in the $20,000 California Breeders’ 550 Stakes on July 27 was his third stakes win of 2019, following the Kaweah Bar Handicap-G3 and Cypress Handicap.
Second in the Cal Breeders 550 last year, Well Good led this year from the start under jockey Vinnie Bednar as the 2-5 favorite. At one point, Well Good had 1-length lead, and at the wire his margin was a 1/2-length. Well Good completed the 550 yards in :27.000.
Scott Willoughby trains Well Good for Allred. The 5-year-old gelding, who also ran third in the 2017 Sgt. Pepper Feature Handicap, has now banked $122,854.
Allred bred Well Good in California out of his winning homebred How Good. The mare, who is out of 1991 La Primera Del Ano Derby-G1 winner How Special, has produced eight starters, all winners, including multiple stakes winner Well And Good.
Paul Jones trains and co-owns second-place Ballast Point (Favorite Cartel-Fall For It) with Thompson Racing Inc. Jesus Ayala rode the 3-year- old gelding, who previously won once, finished second once, and finished third once in seven starts.
Newport Coaster (TR Dasher-Wave Babe) has placed in the Cal Breeders 550 for the past three years, running third this year and in 2018 and second in 2017. Herminia Gutierrez owns the 5-year- old mare, and Allred bred her as well. Erasmo Gasca rode Newport Coaster for trainer Justin Clark. Earlier this year, the mare finished second in the Ivan Ashment Handicap and third in the Danville Station Handicap.
Completing the field were Dustys Classy Dash (Looking For Chicks-Classy Mama), Sepertist Dash (Igreedycuzisepertist-Aze Wanta Dash)
and Favorable Separation (Favorite Cartel-Joyful Separation).
Los Alamitos • $25,000 350 yards • :17.613 • si 94
Strawfly Special
Two Corona Special
Corona Cash
BABY SPECIAL CORONA, ‘16-f.
Da One
Mr Jess Perry Such An Easy Effort
Los Alamitos • $25,000 350 yards • :17.779 • si 90
First Down Dash
Corona Chick Special Leader Ocean Memories
Corona Czech
EL ANGEL CORONA, ‘17-c. Special Ela
Los Alamitos • $20,000
550 yards • :27.000 • Hand Times • si 110
Kiddy Up WELL GOOD, ‘14-g.
Corona Cartel
Miss Racy Vike
Bono Jazz
How Good
How Special
SPEEDHORSE, August 2019 193
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