Once Over, one of the many good horses representing his breeder. on California Breeders’ Champions Night, at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Scott Martinez

Q-RACING JOURNAL—JULY 28, 2014—On Saturday night, Los Alamitos celebrated the breeders and the breeding programs of its home state by running a 14-race card of state-breds.

Owner and breeder Dr. Ed Allred saw five wins on the California Breeders’ Champions Night, including his Discontent take the $352,500 Governor’s Cup Futurity (RG2).

But today we’re going to look further into the pedigree of his Once Over, who won the Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship, a $100,000 Restricted Grade 1 stakes.

Once Over is a 5-year-old gelding by Walk Thru Fire and out of the Check Him Out mare Check Her Twice. Once Over has won or placed in 12 of 19 starts and earned $144,254. The Spencer Childers is his biggest career win to date, but he has been knocking on the door for awhile – his race record also includes placings in the 2013 Spencer Childers and a third in the Vessels Maturity (G1) a few weeks ago.

We discussed Walk Thru Fire a few weeks ago, when Heza Dasha Fire lit up the freshmen stage in the $985,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1). The stallion, who stands at Burns Ranch at Menifee, California, from 10 crops to race has sired the earners of $19.1 million, including reigning world champion Last To Fire ($1,094,244).

But as you might expect from American Quarter Horse racing’s all-time leading breeder, Once Over’s damline is very strong, and that is where we will focus this week.

His dam is the 10-year-old Look Her Over, a daughter of Check Him Out and Allred’s major producer Oh La Proud. It was a smashing night for Look Her Over. Of her seven starters on the track this year, five are winners and five were racing on Saturday. In addition to Once Over, they include Look Of A Dasher (by TR Dasher, second in the $20,000 California Breeders’ 550 Stakes), He Looks Hot (by Walk Thru Fire, third in the Governor’s Cup Futurity (RG2)), Take A Look (by Separatist, won the $25,000 California Breeders Freshman Fillies Stakes) and Dashing Over (by TR Dasher, third in the California Breeders Freshman Fillies Stakes).

Look Her Over was a solid runner. The winner of four of 27 starts, she earned $173,326 on the track. She herself won the 2007 edition of the California Breeders’ 550 Stakes, and she was also second behind champion Stylish Jess BR in the 2008 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1).

Once Over is her first foal, born in 2009. To date, Look Her Over has produced five winners from eight runners. Once Over ($144,254) is her biggest earner, but full sibling He Looks Hot ($45,945) looks promising with a number of rich futurities to go this year.

Look Her Over has four yearlings, all by Walk Thru Fire. They include a colt named Gazing, and fillies Hot Looker, Watch Her Walk and Stop Staring.

Look Her Over’s dam is one of the sport’s great producers. Oh La Proud, yet another product of Allred’s breeding program, was foaled in 1986, the daughter of Shirley’s Champion (TB) and the Ivan Ashment-bred Oh La Ree.

Oh La Proud is a member of a rare group that has produced three champions: hers include Hawkish (by Dash Thru Traffic, $685,631), Hawkinson (by First Down Dash, $448,299) and Flame N Flash (by Walk Thru Fire, $439,151).

Of course, she is also the dam of stakes winners Pride Of Katella (by Raise A Secret, $199,187), Rare Walker (by Walk Thru Fire, $110,702) and Mister Katella (by Raise A Secret, $88,510).

Hawkish and Hawkinson are both sires, and her daughter Hawk Three (by Fishers Dash) is the dam of Grade 2 winner Our First Corona (by Corona Cartel, $131,583).

The extended family has produced more runners than one article can truly explore, so I will list just a few highlights: champion Flying Fig ($806,920); Grade 1 horses Princelike ($246,132), Blue Grass Bounce ($242,367), Heza Secret Diamond ($233,035) and Zoomin Doll ($161,137); and stakes winner and Indiana track record-setter Got Courage ($156,296), among many, many more.

So now let’s switch lanes and acknowledge another dominant producer on California’s celebration night. While Look Her Over’s foals performed admirably, another broodmare was also very well represented: Chicks Tell had an impressive three stakes winners on the card.

The 15-year-old mare is a daughter of Chicks Beduino out of the On A High mare Tell The Boys No. She is owned by Martha Wells of Orange, California, and was bred by the great horseman Blane Schvaneveldt.

A sister of Grade 1 winner Metalico ($194,289), Chicks Tell was a stakes winner who earned $41,115 in her career.

She is the dam of 10 winners from 15 starters and the earners of more than $570,000. Her Forrest Fire (by Walk Thru Fire) won the $20,000 California Breeders’ Sprint Stakes, while both Dash To Tell and Hez Stellar won claiming stakes. A fourth foal, Tough To Tell, was fifth in Hez Stellar’s race.

Forrest Fire is a Grade 1-placed stakes winner and the earner of $326,958 in 46 career starts. Chicks Tell is also the dam of stakes-placed runners Chicks Cocktail ($6,805), Red Hawk Chick ($25,890) and Tough To Tell ($83,797).

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, watch the AQHA Racing Newscast and visit www.aqharacing.com.