Page 173 - January 2021

Last Chance Dash
LEAH CARROLL
by Tracy Gantz
When jockey Victor Salazar picked up the mount on longshot Leah Carroll in the $15,000 Last Chance Dash at Los Alamitos on Dec. 27, it resulted in the first stakes win for both the rider and the filly.
The Last Chance Dash only took :07.075 to complete because it is carded at 110 yards. When the gate opened, Leah Carroll zipped to the lead. She crossed the finish line the victor by a 1/2-length. It was just the 50th mount of Salazar’s career.
Multiple Champion trainer Paul Jones owns and trains Leah Carroll. The filly has made all of her starts at Los Alamitos, breaking her maiden in her third outing. The Last Chance Dash was her second win.
Bobby Simmons bred Leah Carroll out of winner Viva La Blue. The mare has produced six starters, all winners. The second dam is multiple Champion Blues Girl Too. An earner of $2,032,328, Blues Girl Too won the 2006 Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1 and the next year captured
the Champion of Champions-G1, Golden State Derby-G1, and Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1.
Jaime Gomez trains second-place The Best Feeling (Docs Best Card-Stuckonafeeling) and third- place Interragator (Tres Seis-Special Copauino). Gomez co-owns The Best Feeling with Juan Sevilla. Oscar Peinado piloted the filly, who was coming
off a win in the Far West Futurity. Juan Leon rode Interragator for owner Javier Chavez. Interragator had most recently won an allowance race.
Completing the field were Makalerina (Seperate Interest-Hope To Cope), Perrys Everlasting (Mr Jess Perry-Designateddriver) and Single Brad (Foose- Single Sadie). Cartels Legacy (Favorite Cartel- Apollitical Legacy) failed to leave the gate. La Reina Del Sur 1 was scratched.
A Ransom Handicap Div. 1
MR RICKS
by Tracy Gantz
Mr Ricks became a stakes winner when he drew into the first division of the $20,000 A Ransom Handicap at Los Alamitos on Dec. 18 and
scored by a neck.
With Oscar Peinado in the irons, Mr Rick came
away from the gate in third from the 7-post. He avoided some bumping in the center of the field, catching the leader, Made Over, to win at the wire in :17.646 for 350 yards, while posting a 93 speed index.
Mike Robbins trains Mr Ricks for owner Reliance Ranches LLC. The gelding has spent most of his career at Los Alamitos, where he broke his maiden in qualifying for the 2019 Los Alamitos
$2 Million Futurity-G1. He started three times at Ruidoso Downs in 2020, finishing third twice.
McColee Land & Livestock LLC bred Mr Ricks in Utah from stakes-winning Aquafina. The mare, a full sister to World Champion Wave Carver and Champion Ocean Runaway, has produced 10 winners from 14 starters, including stakes winners Corona Springs and Aqua Flash and stakes-placed Aqua Girl and Jess A Boy.
Cruz Mendez rode Made Over (Favorite Cartel- Make Over) to second for owner Juniors Quarter Horses Inc. and trainer Jose Flores. Made Over won three of nine previous starts.
Dr. Ed Allred’s homebred Doctor Gene (Favorite Cartel-Dont Pass Bar) finished third under Oscar Andrade Jr. for trainer Scott Willoughby. Doctor Gene earlier won the 2020 Town Policy Stakes.
Favorite Rock (Favorite Cartel-Firerock) and Max My Bullets (Corona Czech-Gimme Back Mybullets) finished fourth and fifth. Victorioso Dinastia (Favorite Cartel-Forgotten Dynasty) fin- ished sixth, but was disqualified and placed eighth. That moved Dr Tool (Kiss My Hocks-Where Eagles Soar) into sixth and Spring Favorite (Favorite Cartel- Spring Bling) into seventh.
A Ransom Handicap Div. 2
CHAYITO CARTEL
by Tracy Gantz
The father and son team of J. Francisco and Lindolfo Diaz scored with Chayito Cartel in the $20,000 second division of the A Ransom Handicap at Los Alamitos on Dec. 18. Francisco bred and owns the gelding, while Lindolfo trains him.
Chayito Cartel hadn’t won since the 2019 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity-G2.
“He’s just been having trouble in the gate,” said Lindolfo. “He had been leaning on hind legs before his starts, and that just made things tough for him.
I made an equipment change—a different type of bit—in an effort to help him focus better in the gate.”
Sent away as the longest shot of the field, Chayito Cartel and jockey Juan Leon broke on top and never looked back. They scored by a neck in :17.628 for 350 yards, posting a 94 speed index.
Francisco bred Chayito Cartel in California out of Runnin In Traffic, a mare he raced to three wins in 14 starts. Runnin In Traffic finished second in the 2003 Crown Point Handicap and third in three other stakes. She was also a finalist in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G2 and California Juvenile Challenge-G3. She has produced two winners in four starters.
Pesky (Favorite Cartel-Quirky) finished second under jockey Cruz Mendez for owner Juniors Quarter Horses Inc. and trainer Jose Flores. The colt ran second in the 2019 Golden State Juvenile Stakes.
Jesus Uranga owns and trains third-place Kick It Papa Joe (One Sweet Jess-Fire In The Curl). Guillermo Suarez rode Kick It Papa Joe, a $12,500 claim two starts back and winner of four races in 16 prior starts.
Completing the field were Victorio Jess JQM (Apollitical Jess-Personal Glory), Aint Working (Favorite Cartel-Working Girl Blues), Terra Fire (Walk Thru Fire-Terrific Energy), All Prettied Up (Favorite Cartel-Pretty Jet High) and Suite Expectations (Apollitical Jess-Just A Fairytale).
RACING NEWS
Los Alamitos • $20,000
350 yards • :17.628 • si 94
Favorite Trick TB
Favorite Cartel
CHAYITO CARTEL, ‘17-g.
Shenoshercorona
Dash Thru Traffic
Runnin In Traffic
Chrome Tapestry
Los Alamitos • $15,000
110 yards • :07.075
One Famous Eagle
Hes Relentless
LEAH CARROLL, ‘18-f. Viva La Blue
This Dreams Flying Ocean Runaway Blues Girl Too
Los Alamitos • $20,000
350 yards • :17.646 • si 93
Streakin La Jolla
Scoopie Fein First Down Dash Runaway Wave
Mr Jess Perry
MR RICKS, ‘17-g. Aquafina
SPEEDHORSE January 2021 171
Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos