LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JUNE 1, 2017—Exactly 100 juveniles will compete in trials to the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity as part of a full night of Quarter Horse racing on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

Twelve races are on tap for the 350-yard trials with the horses with the 10 fastest times moving on to the million dollar final on Father’s Day on Sunday, June 18.

With 12 races on tap, Los Alamitos will offer three Pick Four wagers on Sunday. The popular early Pick Four will consist, as usual, of the first four races on the card, followed by the Middle Pick Four featuring races five, six, seven and eight. The Late Pick Four will wrap up the action featuring the final quartet of trials.

The 12th and final trial of the night is one of the most interesting races of the night, as it will feature a rematch between the first and third place finishers in the Kindergarten Futurity held here on May 18. On that night, JGA Racing Stables, Inc.’s Fire And Sass defeated a field that included fastest qualifier Summertime Favorite, which ran third in the $304,000 event.

Trained by Juan Aleman and to be ridden by Martin Arriaga, Fire And Sass will be going after his third victory in as many career starts. Sired by Walk Thru Fire, Fire And Sass is out of the blue-hen mare Jess Sass Me, the winner of the 2006 Holiday Handicap and the dam of 2014 AQHA champion filly Jess Walking Thru and 2016 AQHA champion aged mare Sass Me Blue. Jess Sass Me also produced local stakes winner Jess Being Valiant and 2011 Golden State Million Futurity finalist Jess Sass Dash. Fire And Sass is the latest star of the family.

Owned by Paul Jones and Thompson Racing, Inc., Summertime Favorite is also royally bred. Sired by Favorite Cartel and out of Summertime Quickie, she’s a full sister to multiple stakes winner Flay and a half-sister to AQHA champion colt and multiple Grade 1 hero Foose, the winner of the 2008 Ed Burke Million. Fire And Sass will race from post number five, while Summertime Favorite will start to his inside from post four.

There are plenty of standouts racing throughout the night. The opening heat will be headed by Abigail Kawananakoa’s Chance To Fire, a half-length winner in his debut, and Ed Allred’s Tustin Kid, which ran third in his debut, but has shown great talent in his morning works. JGA Racing’s Shangrilalala, the fourth-place finisher in the Kindergarten final, will also race in this opening heat.

Chris O’Dell, which trains Chance To Fire, will also saddle Effortless Effort in the fourth trial on Sunday. Owned by Rosenthal Ranch LLC, the gelding by Favorite Cartel comes in after posting one of the most impressive maiden wins by a 2-year-old this year, a powerful 1-1/4 length win on May 6.

Michael Partin’s Sheza Special Wagon, runner-up in her debut, is among the horses that also figure to challenge. Keith Nellesen’s KVN Corona also impressed in his maiden victory, as the Corona Cartel colt posted a 1 1/4 length victory on April 29. He’ll now headline the sixth trial of the night.

Legacy Ranch Inc.’s Platki broke his maiden race by a length and now returns to headline the seventh trial. The colt is a full-brother to AQHA champion filly Flying Fig, the runner-up in the Ed Burke Million in 2010. EG High Desert Farms’ Remember To Dash will look to be one Platki’s main foes in this trial. The First Down Dash filly will be making her first start for trainer Valentin Zamudio.

Duke Racing LLC’s Sweet 16 could be one of the showstoppers of the night. The filly by PYC Paint Your Wagon out of the Grade 1 winner Fovee, Sweet 16 scored a 1 3/4 length win in her racing debut for trainer Juan Aleman. She’ll be in action in trial number nine.

Reliance Ranches LLC’s SC Vapor Trial, trained by Mike Robbins, will head the 11th trial following her 1 1/4 length maiden win here on May 19. The Corona Cartel filly previously raced in a trial at Remington Park.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.