Racing! Los Alamitos is at the top of the stretch, heading for home

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we look into a couple of 2-year-olds taking the rest of the year off.

I was really looking forward to the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday. It’s never too early to think about the road to the Triple Crown races. Last year, when the race was called the FrontRunner, Bolt d’Oro blew the doors off everyone, beating Solomini by almost eight lengths.

At the time I asked Solomini’s trainer, Bob Baffert, what he thought.

“I have to figure a way to make up eight lengths,” Baffert said.

Guess what? He did. Just not with Solomini.

So, I, and everyone else, was really high on Instagrand, a $1.2 million purchase in the Jerry Hollendorfer barn. He won his first two races by a combined 20 lengths. Instagrand was set to run in closing day Del Mar Futurity but was pulled at the request of owner Larry Best.

It’s no secret Hollendorfer wanted to run the colt, but when you have a big money client like Best, the trainer doesn’t always win. Then, this week, Brad Free of the Daily Racing Form reported that Instagrand will sit out the remainder of the year at Best’s request to “freshen the horse up” for his 3-year-old campaign. Hollendorfer told Free there were no physical issues.

Hmmm.

Then later this week Baffert said that Roadster, who finished second to stablemate Game Winner in the Del Mar Futurity, was also going to take some time off.

“I’m going to give Roadster more like 45 days away from the track,” Baffert told the Times. “I didn’t like his race down there [at Del Mar]. He’s very immature. I’m just going to pass on the Breeders’ Cup. We want him ready for the Classic (Triple Crown) races.”

Game Winner will be running and will have Joel Rosario back in the saddle. He rode him in his first race.

Mario Gutierrez, who is the regular rider for owner Paul Reddam, rode him in his last race when Rosario was unavailable. It was always clear that Gutierrez was not a long-term solution since Reddam also spends a lot of money to get to the Triple Crown races. Reddam and Gutierrez (and trainer Doug O’Neill) have won two Kentucky Derbies with I’ll Have Another and Nyquist.

Instagrand and Roadster were the top two horses in the future’s pool betting. Instagrand at 7-2 and Roadster around 7-1.

There will still be plenty of good horses in the American Pharoah but it will miss the, at this point, marquee names.

Plenty of time to go.

Los Alamitos review

Dominating Woman engineered slow fractions to win the one mile $48,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares. She controlled the race, looked like she flattened in the stretch but re-rallied to win by a half-length over a game Rooms.

The Peter Miller trained filly paid $4.60, $2.60 and $2.10. Morning Dance was third. Life’s Blessings and Tizway That Way completed the five-horse field.

Heriberto Figueroa was the winning jockey.

Los Alamitos preview

If you are looking to buy a horse, Los Alamitos is where you want to be on Thursday. With seven flat out claiming races and an eighth being an optional claimer, there are 54 horses with a tag on them. First post for the eight-race card is 2 p.m.

The feature is an allowance/optional claimer, a one mile race for horses 3 and up. The purse is $45,000 with seven starters. The 5-2 favorite is the 7-year-old gelding Solid Wager. He’s won nine of 44 races, including one of four this year. He’s run his share of stakes races, both graded and ungreaded. His last two race were a first and second at the allowance level. Peter Miller is the trainer and Higiberto Figueroa is the jockey.

The second favorite is lightly raced by comparison. Show Me Da Lute is one for seven lifetime and zero for three this year. He only raced twice last year and was off just short of a year before returning to the track this year. His past is filled with many graded stakes. Baffert trains and Joe Talamo rides. Talamo has really been Baffert’s top rider this meet with Mike Smith taking some time away and Drayden Van Dyke racing back at Kentucky Downs and Churchill Downs. Van Dyke returns to Los Al this week to ride two horses on Saturday.

Here’s the field sizes, in order: 7, 6, 7, 8, 7, 7, 7, 10.

Jose Contreras LRC play of the day

FIFTH RACE: No.3 Sharona Sunset (3-1)

She was bumped repeatedly at the start, recovered to duel four-wide down the backstretch and around the entire turn. The top three finishers were well clear and Sharona Sunset faded to fifth after dueling and losing so much ground. She did outfinish fellow rivals Dashin Ashen and Creative Spark in that same race. If we ignore her wide trip last time out and her stakes effort three starts back, we’re left with solid form in her last four starts against similar fields. She gets a five pound weight break with the sharp apprentice Heriberto Figueroa taking the mount.

Thursday’s result: Stay In Yo Lane broke to the left, rallied to near the front but didn’t have enough left in the stretch to win, finishing third.

Jose Contreras is an excellent handicapper and well known on social media and familiar to racing fans watching on TVG. You can follow him on Twitter at @losponies or check him out at his website.

Los Alamitos nighttime weekend preview

This weekly segment is in the hands of Orlando Gutierrez, marketing and media maven at Los Al. So, the floor is yours, Orlando.

“Quarter-horse racing aficionados will find out on Friday night if Richard Frandsen’s Favorite Motion is the real deal when the Utah-bred gelding faces Governor’s Cup Futurity runner-up Favorite Wise Lady and Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity fourth-place finisher Dexxter in an $13,825 allowance at 330 yards.

“Trained by Jose Flores, Favorite Motion moved to one of the top spots in the juvenile division at Los Alamitos when he broke his maiden by 1 ½ lengths on Aug. 24. The son of Favorite Cartel showed big strides in the races and looked like 400 yards will be right up his alley later this season. He is eligible to run in the Golden State Million Futurity trials at 400 yards on Oct. 21. He’ll start from the four and is 3-1 on the morning line. Howard Nichols’ Dexxter is the 2-1 favorite based on his solid fourth in the Ed Burke. The son of Corona Cartel had won his two previous starts.

“The richest quarter-horse race of the weekend will take place on Sunday night with the Grade 1, $125,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap for distaffers. A full field of 10 will be led by Thermonuclear Energy, who has been assigned the high weight of 127 pounds. Thermonuclear Energy won the Matron Stakes on July 28 and the Ivan Ashment Handicap on June 23. She’ll be taking on a strong field that also includes Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap winner Kiddy Up Cowgirl, AQHA California Distaff Challenge winner One Sweet Racy, and stablemate Jess Ravin and Jess Hawk, both Grade 1 stakes placed mares.”

Ed Burgart’s LA play of the day

EIGHTH RACE: No. 4 Favorite Motion (3-1)

He certainly faces a stern challenge in his second lifetime start but Favorite Motion scored a daylight debut win while looking like a potential stakes star. He ran to his terrific 12.1 gate drill in his 1 ½-length victory from the rail post when leveling with big strides before galloping out strong. He faces Favorite Wise Lady, second in the Governor’s Cup Futurity and Dexxter, fourth in the Ed Burke Million, in this very strong allowance affair.

Final thought

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Now, the stars of the show, Thursday’s results and Friday’s entries.

WE WILL RE JOYCE dueled inside, inched away into the turn, came off the fence on the turn and into the stretch, drifted in a bit in the drive and won clear under urging. ATREVIDA stalked between horses then outside a rival leaving the turn and off the rail into the stretch, also drifted in a bit and was clearly second best. MYRCELLA pressed the pace between horses then stalked off the rail, came three deep into the stretch, also drifted in some and bested the others. BAYTOWN JULIET prompted the pace three deep then stalked outside, dropped back on the turn, came three wide into the stretch and weakened. SWALLOWS INN GAL saved ground stalking the pace, continued inside in the stretch and also weakened. CHIEFS LIL PEARL chased outside then off the rail, came four wide into the stretch and gave way, then was not persevered with late.

STREET TO INDY stalked a bit off the rail, came out for room leaving the turn and into the stretch, angled in past midstretch, bid inside under urging to gain the lead in deep stretch and won clear. GIT ON YOUR PULPIT dueled outside then three deep, gained the lead nearing the stretch, inched away in the drive but could not hold off the winner. SILVER FURY stalked between horses then outside, came four wide into the stretch and just got the show. BANK WALKER broke slowly, went up inside to duel for the lead, put a head in front on the turn, fought back leaving the turn and just lost third. TEQUILA BLANCO chased three deep then off the rail on the turn, came three wide into the stretch and weakened. MALIBU MAGIC settled a bit off the rail then chased inside on the turn, came out in the stretch and lacked a further response. DUDE'S DUDE had good early speed a bit off the rail, dueled between horses, fell back some into the stretch and weakened.

MUCHO GUSTO dueled inside, inched away and came off the rail on the turn, drifted out into the stretch, kicked clear and proved best under some left handed urging and a hold late. VANTASTIC stalked the pace outside, came four wide into the stretch, drifted in some in the drive and was clearly second best. NORSKI settled between foes then outside a rival into and on the turn, came three deep into the stretch and gained the show. PLATINUM NIGHTS chased three deep, angled in on the turn, came out into the stretch, angled back to the inside and was outfinished for third. HAYDENS HAVOC stalked a bit off the rail then inside on the turn and in the stretch and weakened. TWO FIFTY COUP was sent between horses early, dueled outside the winner, stalked off the rail on the turn, came out into the stretch and also weakened. WEEKLY CALL chased between hoses then angled in leaving the backstretch, saved ground on the turn, came out into the stretch and had little left for the lane.

NAUGHTY SOPHIE sped to the early lead, set the pace off the rail, came out into the stretch, drifted out from the whip in midstretch, kicked clear and held under urging. POWDER chased off the rail, swung four wide into the stretch and continued willingly to be second best. BE A LADY stalked outside then three deep on the turn and four wide into the stretch and edged foes for the show three wide. NO WINE UNTASTED hopped some at the start, stalked three deep then off the rail on the turn, drifted in between foes in the drive and was edged for third. C. C. ZIPP stalked between horses, angled to the inside in the stretch and also was outfinished for a minor award. REVENUE VIRGINIUS saved ground stalking the pace throughout and weakened in the stretch.

DOMINATING WOMAN sped to the early lead, set the pace along the inside, inched away again just off the rail in the stretch, drifted out in the final furlong but held. ROOMS bobbled some at the break, stalked between horses then just off the rail, angled in some a furlong out and finished willingly. MORNING DANCE broke out a bit, chased off the rail then outside a rival, angled to the inside on the second turn, continued toward the fence in the stretch and bested the others. LIFE'S BLESSINGS stalked three deep then outside a rival, continued off the rail on the second turn, came out into the stretch and weakened. TIZWAY THAT WAY saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the rail in the stretch and also weakened.

PRINCIPE CARLO dueled three deep then a bit off the rail leaving the turn and into the stretch, inched away in the drive and won clear under urging. I BELONG TO BECKY stalked outside, bid three deep on the turn and four wide into the stretch and edged a rival for the place. STAY IN YO LANE stalked outside a rival then off the rail, bid between foes on the turn and into the stretch and was edged for the place. CALDER VALE chased off the rail then six wide on the turn and seven wide into the stretch and improved position. HANDSOME JOHN saved ground stalking the pace throughout and weakened in the drive. BONSAIL TREASURE stalked between horses, went three deep on the turn and four wide into the stretch and also weakened. NUTTY SIERRA chased between horses, went four wide on the turn and five wide into the stretch and gave way. BOB'S SNIPER chased off the rail, split horses five wide on the turn, came six wide into the stretch and had nothing left for the drive. STREET PUNK stalked between rivals, was in tight leaving the turn, came out into the stretch and gave way. PETER ALAN dueled between horses then inside, dropped back on the turn, steadied between foes leaving the turn, gave way, was pulled up in the final furlong and walked off.

GREAT MA NERI dueled outside a rival, inched away just off the rail on the turn and kicked clear under urging in the stretch. COCO KISSES stalked four wide between horses, split rivals leaving the turn, came three deep into the stretch and edged foes for the place between horses. LOVELY FINISH saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the rail in the stretch and got up for the show. I'M SASSY stalked five wide on the backstretch and outside on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and was edged for third. ENVY dropped back off the rail, came out four wide into the stretch, angled in and was edged for a minor award between foes late. GONE SKYWARD dueled inside, stalked along the rail on the turn and weakened in the stretch. ROCKETANN stalked between horses then outside a rival on the turn, came three deep into the stretch and also weakened. SLEW THE WATERS settled a bit off the rail, angled in and saved ground on the backstretch and turn and gave way. MONACO GIRL stalked between horses, dropped back outside a rival on the turn and between foes into the stretch and had little left for the drive.

CLIFTON BEACH stalked between horses then a bit off the rail on the turn, split horses a sixteenth out and got up inside under urging on the line. BILLY THE HOTT dueled outside a rival, took a short lead past the furlong marker and was edged between foes late. LUCKY WALLY stalked between horses then off the rail on the turn, came three wide into the stretch and finished willingly outside the top pair on the line,. THE CHADINATOR dropped back just off the rail to the stretch and improved position late. SONIC BOY settled off the rail then outside a rival on the turn and into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. E BRADLEY COOPER stalked between horses then off the rail, came three wide into the stretch and also lacked a rally. CHOCOLATE MESS had good early speed and dueled inside, fought back in the stretch and weakened late. SERVE ME A DOUBLE stalked outside, came four wide into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. FOR A GOOD CAUSE dropped back a bit off the rail then inside, saved ground on the turn and into the stretch and gave way. CRIMSON CHARGER stalked between horses then dropped back into and on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and had little left for the drive.