Silver Bac is one of ten contenders running in the $100,000 James Dreyer Charger Bar Handicap-G1 on Sunday.

© Los Alamitos

By Orlando Gutierrez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JANUARY 1, 2026–The first full weekend of racing of the new meet at Los Alamitos is on tap with eight races each on Saturday and Sunday night.

The Sunday program will be headed by a pair of stakes races for mares led by the Grade 1, $100,000 James Dreyer Charger Bar Handicap with a full field of 10. Parsons Family Limited Partnership’s Rockin With Energy will look to become only the fourth two-time winner of the James Dreyer Charger Bar, which is always the first Grade 1 race of the meet at Los Alamitos.

Ten mares will also be in action in Sunday’s Dashingly. Cruz Mendez, who will ride Silver Bac in the James Dreyer Charger Bar and Racy Favorite in the Dashingly, is just one Quarter Horse stakes win away from 100 in his career at Los Alamitos. Only 10 riders have reached that mark at the Orange County track.

The eight-race program on Saturday will include a rematch between Ladama Brava, CD Lady With Class and Heeled in the $10,125 sixth race at 300 yards. The three finished in that listed order on November 22 with Ladama Brava crossing the wire a neck in front of CD Lady With Class.

Owned by Daniel Reynoso and to be ridden by Mendez, Ladama Brava will move from post number four to post number one. That might give CD Lady With Class the edge in this race as she retains an outside post as she’ll start from post six this time after running second from post five on Nov. 22.

In the eighth race, Kelly Yother Equine LLC’s Politically Potent goes after his maiden win after finishing nicely for third in his local debut on November 30. Steve Burns’ Up A Lazy River, a half-sister to the great J Fire Up, is another top contender in this event.

Among the races around the turn, the fifth will feature the $103,000 earner Golf Drama, who has hit the board in seven of 11 starts. Running Tiger and Reconciling Force have each earned over $58,000 and both figure to give Golf Drama a mighty challenge in this event at 4 ½ furlongs. 

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