Page 186 - Speedhorse September 2017

Bank of America Los Alamitos Championship Challenge-G3
FLASH N BLING
by Tracy Gantz
Flash N Bling is well named, seeing as
how he has competed solely at the top of the Quarter Horse game. His travels have taken him from Remington Park to Ruidoso Downs and on to Los Alamitos, where he captured the Bank of America Los Alamitos Championship Challenge-G3 on Aug. 13, earning him a berth in the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship-G1, to be held at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on Oct. 14.
“I was real high on this horse coming into this race,” said Mike Robbins, who trains Flash N Bling for owner Reliance Ranches LLC. Robbins and Reliance had a good night, as they also collaborated with Rip Tide.
Robbins especially liked the fact that Los Alamitos didn’t conduct trials for the Los Alamitos Challenge.
“This horse and Rip Tide both really run better fresh,” said Robbins. “When they have to run trials and come back in two weeks, they seem not to perform as well as they do fresh.”
Flash N Bling hadn’t run for six weeks.
For the Challenge, he faced six other horses, including another Robbins trainee, 7-5 favorite The Charm Of Corona. Flash N Bling went off as the 2.80-1 second choice.
Ridden by Jesus Ayala, Flash N Bling broke out of post 2 in second, behind only Mr PYC
To You on the outside. Flash N Bling quickly took com- mand to win by 3/4-length under a hand ride. The race was hand timed, with Flash N Bling recording a time of :21.156 for the 440 yards.
Though he was win-
ning the first stakes of his
career, Flash N Bling has
always run creditably. Last
year, he qualified & was 5th
in the Los Alamitos Super
Derby-G1, and earlier this year he qualified & was a finalist for the Vessels Maturity-G1.
“He was really doing good,” said Robbins. “He’s probably exceeded my expectations. He’s doing better than I expected. I didn’t think
he could go a quarter of a mile. He had given us indications that he could, but tonight was really a game changer. He was getting stronger all the way down the racetrack.”
Jim Streelman and Bill Dale bred Flash N Bling in Nebraska from Suzy Cartel, who ran 2nd in the 2003 PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G2 and Mistletoe Handicap and 3rd in the 2002 Kindergarten Futurity-G1, all at Los Alamitos.
Suzy Cartel has produced 100% earners from eight starters, including stakes-placed
Personal Glory and Country Cartel. Stakes-placed Promise Me Suz, Flash N Bling’s second dam, also produced graded stakes winner Bermuda Blue, as well as stakes-placed Bubba Suz and Boppin Betty Boop. Bubba Suz in turn foaled graded winner Mr La Bubba and stakes-placed BS Mr Jess.
Cruz Mendez rode Mr PYC To You (PYC Paint Your
Wagon-Stylish Sign) to second for trainer Jose Flores and owners Howard Nichols and Denise and Ronald Van Amburgh. The 4-year-old colt was an allowance winner at Los Alamitos.
Reliance Ranches bred and races third- place The Charm Of Corona (Corona Cartel-Charm Dance). Cody Jensen piloted the 4-year-old gelding. The Charm Of Corona was coming off a second in the Vessels Maturity-G1.
Rounding out the field were Justified (Foose-Special Wave), Jess A Cowboy (Dejon- Secret Return), Luv On The Run (Favorite Cartel-Luv In The Wind), and Flying Jess (One Sweet Jess-Fire Flying).
Los Alamitos $75,780 • 440 yards :21.156 • si 108 • Hand Timed
Dash For Cash
First Down Dash
First Prize Rose
FLASH N BLING, ’13-g.
Corona Cartel
Suzy Cartel
Promise Me Suz
Flash N Bling & Jesus Ayala draw away to win the $75,780 Bank of American Los Alamitos Championship Challenge-G3 by 3/4-length
184 SPEEDHORSE, September 2017
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Los Alamitos