Page 135 - April 2016
P. 135
Irvine Handicap
WELL AND GOOD
by Tracy Gantz
Well And Good didn’t duck the most difficult of competition. He faced World Champion Heza Dasha Fire, Champion Moonist, and other Grade 1 winners during his career. That has earned him a slew of stakes placings since he captured the Scott Lewis Handicap more than a year ago, and he added another stakes win - his last - in the Irvine Handicap at Los Alamitos on March 6.
When the gate opened, Well And Good broke
in good order, and jockey Rodrigo Aceves hustled him into battle with First Down Tiny Man. Those two fought throughout the 350 yards, with Well And Good holding off that rival at the wire to win by 1/2-length in :17.556 earning the $8,250 winner’s share, making his total bankroll $178,769. After crossing the wire, Well And Good fractured his left front sesamoid and was euthanized.
Scott Willoughby trained Well And Good for owner Dr. Ed Allred, who bred the 5-year-old gelding in California out of winner How Good, dam of six starters/winners. Well And Good qualified to the Champion of Champions-G1 last year, and in his first 2016 start he was 2nd in the Barbara B Handicap.
Colten & Wendy O’Dell and Pirate Stables’ First Down Tiny Man (Tinys First Corona-High And Loose TB) finished 2nd. Eduardo Nicasio rode the 4-year-old gelding for trainer Christopher O’Dell. First Down Tiny Man won last year’s Adequan Los Alamitos Derby Championship Challenge.
Allred also bred third-place Front And Center (Walk Thru Fire-Katie Katella), owned by Ronald Skeen and Fawna Knight, trained by Mark Skeen, and ridden by Tony Guymon. The 5-year-old gelding won last year’s First Down Dash Handicap.
Completing the field were Dr Jess (Mr Jess Perry- Eye For Corona), Margaritas N Coronas (Corona Czech-Fly Margarita), and Stel Heights (Stel Corona-Royal Heights).
Fullerton Handicap
ZOOMIN FOR SPUDS
by Tracy Gantz
Zoomin For Spuds continued to collect stakes named for bedroom communities near Los Alamitos when he captured the Fullerton Handicap on March 4. In February he took the Costa Mesa Handicap, named for a town 15 miles south of the track. The Fullerton is named for another nearby town, this one 12 miles northeast.
Both races were conducted over 350 yards, and Zoomin For Spuds led each one from the start and was never headed. Cesar DeAlba hustled the gelding away from the gate in the Fullerton. The jockey hit him just a few times right-handed before hand-riding him to an easy victory by 1 1/4-lengths in :17.548 as the 4-5 favorite. With the $8,250 first place check, Zoomin For Spuds has now earned a total of $80,812.
Bret Vickery trains Zoomin For Spuds for owner Jim Walker, who bred the gelding in Idaho. Zoomin For Spuds also won the 2015 Wild West Futurity at Los Alamitos.
Walker bred Zoomin For Spuds from winner
A Perfect Cocktail. The mare has produced three starters, the other two being stakes winners Bux For Cocktail and Jesses Perfect One.
Eladin Flores’ homebred Obi Juan Kanobi (First Down Dash-Mama Said Run) finished second in what was his stakes debut. Jesus Ayala rode the geld- ing for trainer Elena Andrade. Obi Juan Kanobi was coming off an allowance victory.
Rodolfo Arvizu rode Luv On The Run (Favorite Cartel-Luv In The Wind) to third for trainer Guillermo Morales and owner Jesus Nava. The colt finished third in the 2015 Holiday Handicap and California Breeders Freshman Stakes.
Completing the field were Zendaya (Foose-
Red Hawk Chick), Coach Carter (Carters Cartel-Wortherweightingold), Apollitical Gamble (Apollitical Jess-Three Green Leaves), and She Knows Shes Ivory (Ivory James-Sheza Snow Jewel).
Harris County Stakes
IKNOW HEKNOWS IKNOW
by John Moorehouse
Iknow Heknows Iknow claimed victory in the first Quarter Horse stakes race of the season at Sam Houston Race Park, holding off his foes in the
$20,000 Harris County Stakes on March 25. Owned by Luis Plascencia, Iknow Heknows
Iknow collected his first win in stakes company while making his 27th career out. The six-year-old gelding posted his eighth career victory. He already had black type, posting a trio of third-place efforts, most recently in last year’s Live Oak Handicap at Retama Park.
In this race, Iknow Heknows Iknow had no equal. The gelding seized a 1-length lead by the first call, maintained that advantage going into the stretch and then withstood a late challenge by Daring And Dashing to win the race by a head.
Jose Camacho trains Iknow Heknows Iknow, the pre-race betting favorite, who finished the 550- yard race in :27.594 for a 99 speed index with Luis Vivanco in the irons. The stakes victory produced
a $12,000 prize that pushed the career bankroll of the gelding to $65,926. This marked just the second start at 550 yards for the gelding.
Michael Amburn bred Iknow Heknows Iknow, who became the first stakes winner out of his dam, Dashing Patriot. Charles Crider owns Dashing Patriot, a 2002 mare who has produced two starters among six total offspring.
Daring And Dashing (First Down Dash- Splendiferous) finished a close second. The gelding is owned by Triple K Farms and trained by Judd Kearl. Rodrigo Vallejo did the riding. Stolis Pro (Stoli-Veva Jean) placed third.
Pursuit Of Duty (One Famous Eagle-Southern Fast Lady), Sophies Special (Visionarian-Special Lassie), Bling Bling Bok (Boknaai-Shiney Creek Dancer), The Field Cricket (Lead The Field-Quick Lil Cricket), Romomentum (Lock To Land-Signed Valentine) and Dublin Down (First Down Dash-Itsmybag TB) completed the field.
Los Alamitos $15,000 350 yards :17.556 si 93
Separatist WELL AND GOOD, 11-g.
How Good
Chicks Beduino
Separate Ways
Bono Jazz
How Special
Los Alamitos $15,000 350 yards :17.548 si 93
Shazoom
Zoomin For Bux
Oh No Its Uh Oh
Corona Cocktail
A Perfect Cocktail
ZOOMIN FOR SPUDS, ‘13-g.
A Perfect Strawberry
Sam Houston $20,000 550 yards :27.594 si 99
Sixarun
Our Third Delight
Tres Seis
IKNOW HEKNOWS IKNOW, ‘10-g.
Game Patriot
Dashing Patriot
Tis A Little Doll TB
SPEEDHORSE, April 2016 133
RACING NEWS
Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos
Sandra Beck/Coady Photography
