Racing


Old School Icon Earns Elusive Second Victory At Los Alamitos
Old School Icon, under jockey Armando Cervantes, winning the feature allowance Sunday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.

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Old School Icon Earns Elusive Second Victory At Los Alamitos

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—FEBRUARY 28, 2021—One win from 17 career starts is certainly not a record that stands out by any means. Do not tell that to the connections of the talented Old School Icon, who went into Sunday’s featured $12,600 allowance event, as the owner of that record.

For one, Old School Icon is certainly a Quarter Horse stand out and many of his performances prove it as such. During his sophomore year in 2020, Old School Icon finished second in the Grade 3 El Primero Del Año Derby and third in the Grade 2 Southern California Derby to go along with two other runner-up efforts in stakes races during his freshman campaign.

To go with his only win, Old School Icon came into Sunday’s main event with eight runner-up efforts and four third place finishes. Thirteen in-the-money finishes from 17 starts is a stat that begins to tell a better story about Old School Icon’s ability.

Owned and bred by AQHA Racing champion owner Martha Wells and trained by Matt Fales, the son of Texas Icon out of the Walk Thru Fire mare Cozie Fire showed his talent on Sunday night. Ridden by Armando Cervantes, Old School Icon left the gate in good form and he steadily devoured the 330 yards on the way to a clear half-length victory in a time of :16.823.

Two wins from 18 starts remains a modest record, but Old School Icon could grow into a force in the older Quarter Horse division this year. This was his first win since he broke his maiden in fourth career start on July 26, 2019.

The Arizona-bred will have his opportunities to make an impact at the Grade 1 level in 2021. He is nominated to the Vessels Maturity, which will have trials in mid-June, and a good performance there could keep him in line to make appearances in races like the Go Man Go Handicap. The Kaweah Bar Handicap on May 1 is another race he could be pointed to in the spring.

Having faced many of the top sophomores on the grounds last year, Old School Icon appears ready for a few more wins this year. And if he does add a few more winning snapshots to his record, one thing will be for sure. He will have done it the old school way with patience, grit and in blue-collar style.

Old School Icon earned $6,600 for the win to take his career earnings to $96,432.

Adriana Vallejo’s Cartel Fire Two, a 1-½ length allowance winner in her last start, finished second here, while first-time local starter Volcom Fire ran third.

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For more info, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.