Preview Racing


Zoomin For Spuds Sharp In Prep Work For June 11 Vessels Maturity Trials
Champion of Champions winner Zoomin For Spuds is preparing for the June 11 Grade 1 Vessels Maturity.

© Scott Martinez
Zoomin For Spuds Sharp In Prep Work For June 11 Vessels Maturity Trials

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—MAY 21, 2017—im Walker’s Champion of Champions winner Zoomin For Spuds, the AQHA champion 3-year-old gelding last year, drilled 220 yards from the gate in an impressive :12.10 clocking under jockey Jesus Rios Ayala on Saturday morning at Los Alamitos. Zoomin For Spuds worked in preparation for the trials to the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity on June 11.

The Vessels Maturity final will be held on July 2 and will award its winner a berth to this year’s Grade 1 $750,000 Champion of Champions.

Trained by Monty Arrossa, Zoomin For Spuds last raced when running second in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Championship on February 19. The 4-year-old gelding by Zoomin For Bux has won eight of 20 starts and has earned $442,546. Zoomin For Spuds won the Champion of Champions in his final start of 2016 and has seven stakes win in his Los Alamitos racing career.

"I was happy with this work,"Arrossa said. "We gave the horse some time off after the Winter Championship. He’s been training really well and he’s been schooling good in the gate. This morning I thought he was really focused and did the :12.1 pretty easy. Jesus Ayala did a nice job and he was happy with the work as well. We feel like he’s put on quite a bit of weight. The time off did him well and conditioning wise he looks great. I’m happy with the way he came back."

A total of 29 horses remain eligible for the Vessels Maturity trials. In addition to Zoomin For Spuds, the list of also includes Los Alamitos Winter Championship winner BH Lisas Boy, defending Vessels Maturity winner He Looks Hot, Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap winner Jess Good Reason, six-time Los Alamitos stakes winner Jess Ravin, recent local allowance winners Flash N Bling and Stel Easy, Southern California Derby winner Uno Corona Mas, Town Policy Handicap winner Stevie B First Cash and Los Alamitos Super Derby finalist Rip Tide.

Rip Tide, which like Flash N Bling is owned by Reliance Ranches and trained by Mike Robbins, also worked 220 yards from the gate on Saturday. The sixth-place finisher in last year’s Super Derby, Rip Tide posted a sizzling fast :11.80 clocking. He is by Corona Cartel from the First Down Dash mare Little Surfer.

Reliance Ranches also campaigns Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby Big Lew, another Corona Cartel colt also in the Vessels Maturity trials list. Big Lew, however, worked 220 yards at Remington Park on May 14 and could make his next start in the Grade 1 Remington Park Invitational Championship.

The Remington Park Championship serves as the prime event for older Quarter Horses on the June 3 program which closes the season at the Oklahoma track. The 440-yard race also offers the winner a spot in the Champion of Champions.

CLICK HERE to visit the video works page from Los Alamitos Race Course for both Zoomin For Spuds and Rip Tide.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ed Allred and Tom Seibly’s Stel Easy, winner of the Jens List Memorial Stakes, will go into the June 11 trials in top form after posting a half-length victory at 350 yards in a good time of :17.451 here on Saturday night. Ridden by Carlos Huerta for trainer Scott Willoughby, Stel Easy was making his first start of 2017 and now has victories in six of 10 career start. Stel Easy beat a field that included Vessels trials hopefuls Free Swinger, Uno Corona Mas and Freakin Runaway.

EG High Desert Farms’ Diamonds Blue Eye also impressed on Saturday after posting a ¾ length victory in his racing debut. Trained by Yanet Rodriguez, the 2-year-old Corona Czech gelding out of Letty Bail Regis Out covered the 300 yards in :15.554. His time was faster than the debut clockings posted by highly regarded runners like Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity winner Fire And Sass, Wild Wonder and Summertime Favorite.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Los Alamitos enjoyed a record late Pick Four pool for a Saturday evening when $152,239 was wagered on its May 20th program. The record figure sailed past the previous mark of $132,941 set on Saturday, April 1. The Saturday record handle is also the third highest for the wager at Los Alamitos. The all-time record pool for the late Pick Four of $164,219 was set last Sunday, May 14. Live racing continues at Los Alamitos on Sunday night with a first post of 5:52 p.m.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.