Page 43 - January 6 2012

At about the same time, the gelding received a new trainer in Smith, and that com- bination is now three for three. The stakes vic- tory was fortuitous for Smith, who had thought about leaving the training profession.
“This win builds me up big time,” the trainer said. “I’ve had this horse for his last three starts, and he’s training well and eating well. He had some stomach ulcers, but we treated them and that has helped him.”
Bianca is hoping for big things from El Aguila Real in 2012.
“We’ve paid him up in the Winter Championships in late January,” said Bianca. “We’re hoping he’ll do really well and maybe qualify for the Champion of Champions. We also made the nomination payment for the Vessels Maturity.”
Feature My Corona (Feature Mr Jess- Corona Cash), at 22-1, finished second under jockey Juan Andrade. Trained by Jose Moreno, Feature My Corona races for Feliz Gonzalez. The gelding has won two of 11 starts, and in 2010 he ran second in the Los Alamitos Two Million Juvenile Invitational.
Lifes Been Good (Heza Motor Scooter-Nola Darling) held off First Black Wagon for third. Cesar DeAlba rode the colt for owner Alejandro Ibarra and trainer Valentin Zamudio. His Southern California Derby trial, in which he finished third, was Lifes Been Good’s first race at Los Alamitos after he started eight times at Turf Paradise. He won the AZQRA Futurity in 2010 and placed in two other stakes.
Rounding out the field were First Black Wagon (PYC Paint Your Wagon-First Black Rose), Walkin Bac (Walk Thru Fire-Running Bac), Eddie Ray Vaughan (Corona Cartel-Tiny Dash Of Cash), Flying Fig (Corona Cartel- Tender Flyer), Hawks Dream Girl (Hawkinson- Million Dreams), Vivid Lady (Vivid Velocity-Lady Of Lake-TB), and Enjoy The Walk (Walk Thru Fire-Enjoy The Moment).
El Aguila Real wins the $171,750 Grade 1 Southern California Derby by a head under jockey Cruz Mendez
Cruz Mendez returns to the winner’s circle aboard El Aguila Real.
SPEEDHORSE, January 6, 2012 41
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