LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 28, 2018—It was a profitable Saturday night for Ron Hartley's Black Fryday, as the gelding by Favorite Cartel broke perfectly from the outside post nine to win the $203,000 Governor's Cup Derby in wire-to-wire fashion.

Abigail Kawanakoa's Chance To Fire ran second ahead of Dont Foose With Me, while J Fire Up, the AQHA champion 2-year-old filly last year, broke slow and finished fourth.

"The start - that's what this game is about," Hartley said. "Black Fryday had a good break. He took the lead and that was it. I used to go see this horse at Burns Ranch when he was a yearling. My office in Menifee is about three miles away from the ranch so I visit often. I would see Black Fryday at the ranch and liked him a lot."

When Burns Ranch consigned Black Fryday to the 2016 Heritage Place Sale, Hartley followed.

"I wanted the horse and bought him for $30,000," he said. "He's been pretty good. He's always been right there. He finally got one."

Black Fryday was second in the Grade 3 El Primero Del Ano Derby earlier this year and fifth to J Fire Up in the Grade 1 Golden State Futurity last year. He earned $83,160 for his Governor's Cup win to take his career earnings to $197,110.

Piloting Black Fryday for trainer John Cooper in the Governor's Cup Derby was Eddie Garcia, this track's all-time leading jockey in wins and stakes win. Garcia had previously won this race with the champion Four Forty Blast in 1993 and with the Cooper-trained champion Separatist in 2000. This was Garcia's 150th stakes victory at Los Alamitos.

"Eddie is a money rider," Cooper said. "He's won a lot of stakes races for me over the years."

Cooper has been a money trainer during his great career and he's done well in the Governor's Cup Derby. He saddled the great Moonist to victory in this derby back in 2014 and also saddled J. & T. Hogins' Aladuino to victory in the 1983 running. Cooper is this derby's all-time leading trainer with four victories.

Bred by Dr. Steve Burns, DVM, Black Fryday is out of the Separatist mare Ruths Chris. The gelding covered the 400 yards in :19.685 while finishing 1-¼ lengths ahead of Chance To Fire. Ridden by Cody Jensen for trainer Chris O'Dell, Chance To Fire earned $33,660 for the win.

Spackman Racing and Lin Melton's Foose gelding Dont Foose With Me ran third with J Fire Up, Unblemished, Yanque, Casino Baccarat, My Favorite Cartel, One More Cigarr, and Ditto Head completing the field.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.