Page 196 - February 2021

RACING NEWS
Cypress Handicap
STOLEN LIVES
Los Alamitos
$20,000 • 350 yards :17.804 • si 87
SEPERATE INTEREST
si 98
Bred by: Eaves Horses Family Ltd. Partnership
Raced to 5 • $486,761 29-7(3)-8(4)-1(1)
291 f., 5 SW • $1,130,980
SEPARATIST si 101
Bred by: Edward C. Allred Raced to 3 • $ 889,044 24-16(7)-3(3)-1
1,691 f., 64 SW • $25,082,938
Bred by: Steve D. Burns, DVM
Raced to 4
$30,855
10-3(1)-2-3
A DELIGHTFUL LEGACY si 105 Bred by: Mrs. Gwendolyn Eaves Raced to 2 • $179,153 6-4(1)-1-0
38 f., 3 SW • $1,876,590
ENJOY THE WALK
si 96
Bred by: Steve D. Burns, DVM Raced to 4 • $107,836 18-3(1)-4(1)-3(1)
18 f., 3 SW • $471,112
WALK THRU FIRE si 92
Bred by: Allred Bros/Vessels Stallion Farm
Raced to 4 • $ 94,280 21-2-2-2
1,294 f., 88 SW • $39,444,119
ENJOY THE MOMENT si 103 Bred by: Patricia Visscher Raced to 6 • $ 140,654 24-7(3)-9(4)-2
11 f., 1 SW • $335,136
by Tracy Gantz
Dr. Steve Burns and his wife, Jo, collaborate with many owners in producing outstand- ing runners. But the story of Stolen Lives,
winner of the Jan. 15 Cypress Handicap at Los Alamitos, goes back a generation with Lila Kessinger, who owns the colt with Jo.
Kessinger raced Seperate Interest, the sire of Stolen Lives, at Los Alamitos. The colt won the 2014 Kaweah Bar Handicap-G3, 2014
Z. Wayne Griffin Invitational Stakes, and 2013 Town Policy Stakes prior to Steve Burns acquiring him. Seperate Interest now stands at Burns Ranch in Menifee, California.
Burns bred Stolen Lives by crossing
his homebred graded stakes winner Enjoy The Walk with Seperate Interest. Mike Casselman trained both Seperate Interest and Enjoy The Walk, and now he conditions Stolen Lives for Jo and Lila.
In the 350-yard Cypress, Stolen Lives went off as the even-money favorite. With jockey Cruz Mendez in the irons, Stolen Lives broke on the outside of the four-horse field, moving up throughout. All four horses came to the wire together, but Stolen Lives stuck his head in front at the wire, stopping the timer in :17.804.
“He did really good,” said Casselman. “I thought Cruz did a nice job with him. He fits him really well. He’s real patient with him, warming up, and just lets him relax.”
Unraced at two in 2019, Stolen Lives at three in 2020 broke his maiden in his second start and subsequently did well in allowance company. Casselman explained that Stolen Lives had a setback before his first start, and that Lila and Jo decided to partner on the colt afterward.
“We just gave him a bunch of time off,” said Casselman. “They had a lot of patience with him. He’s been real solid since then. I thought it would be a longshot to put him against these horses, but it turned out to be a good spot.”
Kessinger was winning her first stakes at Los Alamitos since Seperate Interest.
“She comes out to the Los Alamitos Equine Sale and is really involved,” said Casselman.
Enjoy The Walk won the 2012 California Breeders’ Matron Stakes after running second in the 2011 PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby-G3 and third in the 2011 La Primera Del Ano Derby-G2. The mare has produced eight winners from 12 starters, including multiple graded stakes winner Chocolatito and stakes winner Eagles Soar.
Martha Wells’ homebred Fayvorite Chick (Favorite Cartel-Chicks Tell) finished second. Armando Cervantes rode the 4-year-old filly for trainer Matthew Fales. Fayvorite Chick ran sec- ond in the 2020 Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap.
Anita Bramlette’s homebred Mr Bill
(Favorite Cartel-Going Single) ran third under jockey Juan Leon. Lindolfo Diaz trains the 4-year-old gelding, a two-time winner making his stakes debut. Terra Fire (Walk Thru Fire- Terrific Energy) finished fourth. Hes Sizzling BB and Redneck Ryan were scratched.
194 SPEEDHORSE February 2021
Stolen Lives winning the Cypress Handicap
Los Alamitos
STOLEN LIVES, ‘17-c.