LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 27, 2019—Fastest qualifier Pitbull and his connections were living It up on California Breeders Champions Night at Los Alamitos after the colt by Favorite Cartel scored a half-length victory over Runforyourlife in the Restricted Grade 2, $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Sent off as the 9-5 favorite from post number three, Pitbull broke alongside Max My Bullets and Cattail Cove in the 350-yard dash, but when jockey Ruben Lozano asked him for more, he responded to take the lead. Owned by Cesar Nunez and trained by Valentin Zamudio, Pitbull was the leader of the pack from that point on, covering the distance in :17.610. The 2-year-old is undefeated so far in his career.

“Three races, three wins,” said Nunez, a native of Sonora, Mexico. “He’s been outstanding. I saw the horse for the first time just three days ago. He’s magnificent. This horse was selected by a couple of my friends (at the 2018 Los Alamitos Equine Sale). They found the horse, and me being in Mexico just said that I was leaving the horse in their hands. It was a great pick of a horse by them.”

Rafael Monteverde, a longtime horse owner at Los Alamitos Race Course, was among those that helped find the Steve Burns-bred runner for Nunez.

“Rafael has raced horses for a very long time at Los Alamitos,” Nunez said. “I have to thank him for helping to select this horse. I felt it would be a tough race because our horse didn’t have much experience. He broke on top and he remained there. It was a great result. We also just met Valentin Zamudio a few days ago. It’s all been new to me, but it’s been a great experience. We’ll keep racing here.”

Purchased for $40,000, Pitbull earned $151,200 for the win.

“He was always very easy going and intelligent,” Zamudio added. “He has a wonderful demeanor and I think all of those qualities have helped him become a nice horse. I see how much he enjoys running. Things have worked out nicely. The competition will get stronger with each race and just hope he keeps doing things well. The horses has always shown us talent. He’s never been headed by another horse up to this point. We hope it continues. The competition was very strong. It’s never easy in a race like of this quality.”

With this victory, Zamudio scored the richest win of his training career. His previous biggest win came two years ago with Stelfast in the $224,100 El Primero Del Ańo Derby.

“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great help with (Pitbull),” the trainer said. “Jockey Ruben Lozano and the team that surrounds me have been great. I’m very blessed. We’ll now look at the trials to the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and then the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.” Rosenthal Ranch LLC’s Favorite Cartel gelding Runforyourlife earned $43,200 for running second for jockey Eduardo Nicasio and trainer Chris O’Dell.

Link Newcomb’s Favorite Cartel gelding Cattail Cove finished third and was followed by Cartel Jess Rockin, Max My Bullets, A Mere Felix, Up For Speed, Bono Is Good, Lebowski, and Come Forth.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.