Preview Racing


Trials To $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity On Tap For Saturday Night
Kindergarten Futurity(G2) finalist Diamond Rock is among 53 juveniles set to contest the $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity trials for California-breds on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

© Scott Martinez
Trials To $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity On Tap For Saturday Night

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 12, 2019—Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity finalists Diamond Rock, Cartel Jess Rockin, and Chickititas Corona will join Ed Burke Million Futurity finalist Javelina Cantina and the undefeated Up And Coming as some of the headliners in the trials to the $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity for California-breds on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Seven trials will be contested at 350 yards featuring a total of 53 juveniles. The horses with the 10 fastest times will advance to the Governor’s Cup final to be held as part of California Breeders Champions Night on Saturday, July 27.

The Governor’s Cup Futurity is the richest race held on Champions Night and it is usually won by a runner that goes on to challenge for top honors in the major futurities held at Los Alamitos in November and December.

Champion J Fire Up won the 2017 running of the Governor’s Cup before winning the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and Golden State Million Futurity. Past winners since 1997 have included champions Your First Moon, Old Habits, Separatist and Corona Cash. Powerful Favorite won the 2018 Governor’s Cup Futurity and he’s been among the nation’s top 3-year-olds this year.

The trials will be contested as races two through eight on Saturday night.

Right off the bat, the Governor’s Cup trial will offer a tasty duel as La Feliz Montana Ranch’s Up And Coming and Juan Humberto Moya’s Diamond Rock will square off in the opening trial. Trained by Chris O’Dell, Up And Coming broke his maiden by 1 ¼ lengths on May 11 and then returned to win his Ed Burke Million trial by a half-length on June 9. Purchased for $67,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, the Kiddy Up gelding can still improve off of that trial victory and appears to be well drawn in the opening trial.

His chief rival in this race is Diamond Rock, who posted a tremendous maiden victory when crossing the wire nearly three lengths ahead of his closest competitor on April 20. He was then a daylight winner in his Kindergarten Futurity trial, but in the final he started slow and was never in contention while finishing ninth in the 300-yard dash. The Jose Flores-trainee will start from post number two while making his first start at 350 yards.

Lex Fabrizio’s Part Ninja has been all winner in his first two career starts at Weber Downs in Ogden, Utah. He’ll now make his first start at Los Alamitos while under the watchful eye of trainer Monty Arrossa. Part Ninja will head the second Governor’s Cup trial with Jose Nicasio aboard.

Cesar Nunez’s Pitbull scored a ¾ length win in his racing debut and could certainly finish the night as the leader of pack. The colt by Favorite Cartel, who was purchased for $40,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, posted a couple of solid morning works before strutting to victory in a time of :15.56 for trainer Valentin Zamudio.

Pitbull's top foe in the third heat could be Steve Burns' Javelina Cantina, who surprised many when running second to Dreams Divine at 43-1 odds in her Ed Burke Million Futurity trial on June 9. Sired by Ed Burke Million winner Foose and out of Golden State Million winner Little Talks, Javelina Cantina could certainly advance to the Governor's Cup final with a similar trial effort.

Ed Allred, who has won the Governor's Cup four times during his Hall of Fame career, will have a talented group of 2-year-olds in action on Saturday. In the fourth trials (race number five), Allred will be represented by Up For Speed, who finished second by a nose in his racing debut when facing the well-regarded Lebowski on June 7.

Allred will then have the gelding Sounds Good in the next trial facing a group that includes Cream of the Crop, Inc's Lebowski and Ron Hartley's Kindergarten finalist Cartel Jess Rockin. Allred's Up And Atem will follow as he starts from post number one in the sixth trial (race number seven). The gelding by Favorite Cartel and out of 2013 Governor's Cup Futurity winner Up For It has hit the board in his first two starts and is very capable of delivering a big effort here. Allred will be represented by the filly Starlet in the final trial. She's from the family of Governor's Cup Futurity winners Hot Hitter and Hard Hitting.

Ron Hartley will have two standouts in his corner on Saturday night. The longtime owner and breeder campaigns the precocious filly Cartel Jess Rockin, who will race in trial number five. She won her first two career starts by daylight before running a solid fourth in the Kindergarten final. Hartley will also send out Chickititas Favorite, the fifth place finisher in the Kindergarten following his 3/4 length trial win. Chickititas Favorite will take on Starlet in the seventh and final trial.

That final trial features one of the strongest fields of the night. In addition to Chickititas Favorite and Starlet, this group also included Martha Wells' Tell Cartel, a colt who has looked terrific in his two victories this season. Rosenthal Ranch LLC's Runforyourlife is also in this race. Purchased for $100,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, he's a full brother to 2018 Governor's Cup Futurity winner Powerful Favorite.

EG High Desert Farms' Forgot The Rose, who was purchased for $95,000 will also compete in the final trial.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.