Preview Racing


Top Runners Stelfast And Rite Regals Among Bright Stars Racing On Champions Night
Urschel 3-D Ranch LLC’s Rite Regal will head the $25,000 California Breeders Sprint Stakes Saturday night following a layoff.

© Scott Martinez
Top Runners Stelfast And Rite Regals Among Bright Stars Racing On Champions Night

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 28, 2017—Stelfast, one of the big sophomore stars of this season, and Rite Regal, one of the top sophomore stars during the 2016 campaing, are among the bright performers that will be in action during the California Breeders Champions Night program.

To be ridden by Cruz Mendez for trainer Valentin Zamudio, Stelfast will be in action in the $25,000 Jens List Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds.

He’ll come in having won the El Primero Del Ano Derby three races ago and the Dillingham Handicap two races ago. He was fourth after a slow break in the Vandy’s Flash Handicap, but his earlier successes make him a top candidate to challenge here.

Darling Farms and Jaime Gomez’s LD Is Back ran super in a maiden race in his last outing and figures to receive a lot of attention. Darling Farms is one of the nation’s hottest owners after winning the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby with Hold Air Hostage.

Urschel 3-D Ranch LLC’s Rite Regal won the El Primero and Grade 2 Golden State Derby last year and also competed in the Champion of Champions. The Jose Flores-trainee will head the $25,000 California Breeders Sprint Stakes. He’ll be taking on Ron Hartley’s classy stakes runner My Favorite Check and Martha Wells’ red-hot Chicks Fayvorite.

A pair of divisional $25,000 stakes races for 2-year-olds will feature full 10-horse fields and are among the highlight events on Champions Night. The 2-year-old fillies will be in action in the first race of the card with EG High Desert Farms’ stakes runner-up Matilda Czech leading the way. Summertime Favorite, the third-place finisher in the Kindergarten Futurity, also figures to contend in this race. The boys will be in action in the fourth race and will be headed by Kindergarten Futurity runner-up Dont Foose With Me, Ed Burke Million finalist Remember To Dash, and highly regarded geldings Wild Wonder, Resolutely, and Unblemished.

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The top California-bred distaffers will be in action in the Restricted Grade 3 Matron Stakes, which is scheduled as the fifth race on the card. Nine ladies will make the 400-yard trip looking for the winner’s share of the $40,000 purse. Among the mares in action will be Zendaya who won her last out and will be ridden by Los Alamitos leading rider Cesar De Alba.

To her right will be Thermonuclear Energy, the winner of last year’s Los Alamitos Invitational Stakes, and has spent most of her career facing top fields. You Can Fly, a four-year-old mare, who has yet to run in 2017, will look to kick off her campaign with a W. With an outstanding group of mares, this field is among the most competitive on Champions Night.

The 3rd race on the card is the California Breeders Debutante Stakes. Filled with seven fillies going 350 yards in pursuit of $25,000 dollars, there’s plenty of girl power in this event. Last year's Freshman Fillies stakes winner Scholarly has returned to try take home yet another event on Champions Night. Starting from next door to Scholarly, Sweet Aguila is a multiple stakes finalist and looks to give her new trainer Valentine Zamudio her first win under his direction. Not to be forgotten is Tough To Figure, the runner up in the La Primera Del Ano Derby. She came up short to winning the La Primera by a head bob.

Six runners will be battling out in the 550-Yard California Stakes for a $20,000 purse. Eagles Nest Cowboy has proven himself to be a solid performer in longer races and trainer John Cooper said he "saw an opportunity to see if he could put this horse's backside foot speed into the 550 stretch." Eagles Nest Cowboy has the best percentage of horses lighting up the board in the field with a lifetime percentage of 69%.

Just to the inside is Bound To Bet, who deserves some attention for how well he raced in his last out. He broke to an early lead through the turn; once they reached the end of the turn he received a very strong challenge from the inside, though it proved to not be enough, Bound To Bet found another gear late and won by a length for trainer Scott Willoughby.

Also accompanying the field on the far outside is Stel Heights, a Los Alamitos veteran, with 45 lifetime starts and 9 career wins. The 7-year-old gelding has a chance to score his 10th career victory on Saturday night.

Hard-knocking sophomore claimers will be in action at 350 yards in the 7th race tonight. JV April Fool, trained by Angela Aquino, has the foot speed to contend if he’s able to showcase early speed. Minor Arana will ride the sorrel filly from post number one.

The 11th race on the marathon 12-race card will see a clash of quality sophomores at 350 yards. Should Win will look to live up to his name when he heads this group of $10,000 claimers. "Having him right in between horses helps him stay focused and shoot out straight," trainer Mark Skeen said.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.