Page 155 - Speedhorse December 2019

Los Alamitos Juvenile Invitational
CHICKITITAS FAVORITE
by Tracy Gantz
Owner Ronald Hartley, trainer John Cooper, and jockey Juan Leon col- lected a big double at Los Alamitos on
Dec. 15. Before they won the Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1 with Cartel Jess Rockin, they captured the
400-yard Los Alamitos
Juvenile Invitational with Chickititas Favorite.
Chickititas Favorite
led from almost the outset
of the 400-yard stakes.
Breaking in second place
from the seven-hole, the
brown gelding was a
nose in front at the first
call. Holding a slim lead
throughout, Chickititas
Favorite had a head at the
top of the stretch. You Can
Run stayed close to him the entire way, but Chickititas Favorite scored by a neck
in :19.762.
Chickititas Favorite’s sire, Favorite Cartel, sired seven of the 10 starters, and
they were the first seven finishers across the line.
Hartley and his wife, Jeryl, own and bred Chickititas Favorite, who also won his trial and the finals to the Golden State Juvenile
on Nov. 3. The gelding broke his maiden in the May 5
trials to the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, quali- fying to the race and finishing fifth in the finals.
The Hartleys bred Chickititas Favorite in California from Chickitita, claimed by Jeryl Hartley and John Firth for $12,500.
Cooper also trained Chickitita for them, and
she placed in three stakes. Chickitita has produced two
winners in five starters, including 2018 California Breeders’ Debutante Stakes win- ner Hard Headed Chick.
Dr. Steve Burns’ homebred You Can Run (Favorite Cartel-You Can Fly) finished second with
Chickititas Favorite waits in saddling paddock before the race
Jesus Ayala aboard. Mike Casselman trains the gelding, who had won two of four previous races.
A Mere Felix (Favorite Cartel-A Mere Classic), ridden by Jonathan Roman, finished third. Santos Perez trains the colt for EG High Desert Farms. A Mere Felix won the Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap and was a finalist in the Governor’s Cup Futurity-G2.
The remaining order of finish was Tell Cartel (Favorite Cartel-Chicks Tell), With Vigor (Favorite Cartel-Coronas Rouge), Silk And Stilettos (Favorite Cartel-Tallulah Moon), Favorite Illusion (Favorite Cartel- Sweetest Illusion), One Sweet Change (One Sweet Jess-Echo Boomer), Approval Given (Kiddy Up-Just Checking), and Interesting Bar (Seperate Interest-Baccarat Bar).
Los Alamitos $30,000 • 400 yards :19.762 • si 93
Favorite Trick TB
Favorite Cartel
Shenoshercorona
CHICKITITAS FAVORITE, ’17-g.
Tac It Like A Man
Chickitita
The Devine Miss Em
Chickititas Favorite and jockey Juan Leon win the $30,000 Los Alamitos Juvenile Invitational by a neck
SPEEDHORSE, December 2019 151
Los Alamitos Emily Blankenship/Speedhorse