LOS ALAMITOS, CA—NOVEMBER 4, 2012—San Gregorio Racing Stables and Gustavo and Jose De La Torre’s One Dashing Eagle completed one of the greatest campaigns in Quarter Horse racing history with an emphatic wire to wire victory in the $1,118,000 Golden State Million Futurity on Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Ridden by Ramon Sanchez, One Dashing Eagle became the first Quarter Horse to ever win three races featuring million dollar purses. The colt by One Famous Eagle earned $450,660 for the win to take his earnings to an all-time single season record of $2,079,065. He is the first Quarter Horse to earn $2 million in a single season and his 2012 earnings topped the previous all-time single season mark set by World Champion Stolis Winner of $1,820,437.

One Dashing Eagle won the Golden State Million with ease and in stakes record time. The Allred Brothers-bred phenomenon crossed the wire 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Estate of Kim Kessinger’s Seperate Interest to add the Golden State Million to his collection of million dollar victories. His winning time of :19.242 broke the previous 400-yard stakes record of :19.30 set by Tres Passes is 2008. Previously, One Dashing Eagle won the $1,041,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 24 and the $2,400,000 All American Futurity on September 3. The sorrel colt is the leading contender to be named champion 2-year-old and champion 2-year-old colt and figures to be in the conversation to be named world champion sprinter.

“Every time he goes out he gives us a different and more exciting surprise,” said Jorge Carmona of San Gregorio Racing Stables. “He has gotten stronger and stronger with every race. When he broke he was one of the horses on top. He didn’t have them by a lot, but after that he opened up. My concern was getting him out of the gate. We knew that if he left the gate that he would be hard to catch. We are real fortunate to have him. He is a blessing in every way. Ramon did a wonderful job riding him and he knew exactly was he was doing. We appreciate what he has done riding this horse.”

Sanchez, who also piloted One Dashing Eagle in the All American Futurity, had a perfect journey aboard One Dashing Eagle.

Young jockey Adrian Loza piloted One Dashing Eagle to victory in the Ed Burke Million before giving way to the more experience hands of champion jockey Ramon Sanchez. Sanchez piloted One Dashing Eagle to win the All American Futurity and then perfect journeys aboard him in the Golden State Million trials and in this memorable final.

“There’s not a 2-year-old Quarter Horse in this world that can beat this horse right now,” Sanchez said. “I just pushed him a little bit and I made sure he kept going straight. Amore La Blue was with us for about the first 100 yards, but after that he took off. At the wire I moved my head to see what was (around me) and I didn’t see anything. I guess they were behind me. This is a professional horse. He’s always ready to run.”

One Dashing Eagle is not eligible to run in the trials to the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity on November 25 and that’s good news for the rest of the 2-year-old division in California so his freshman campaign is done. Otherwise he would have been considered the favorite to become the track’s first Triple Crown winner after winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown in the form of the Ed Burke and Golden State Million.

“It would have been a pleasure to run in the Los Alamitos Two Million and I think we would have won the Bonanza, but I am happy with what the horse has done,” Carmona said.

The question now becomes: Will the colt return for a sophomore season in 2013 or will he be retired to begin a career at stud?

“We’re going to talk about his future now,” Carmona added. “We’ve heard different opinions from people in the (breeding) business and we’ll now have to talk a little more about them. This victory changes a lot of things and we’ll have to revise our thinking. People are interested in buying a piece of ownership in this horse. We’re new at that type of business (breeding). The De La Torres have some experience because they are standing One Sweet Jess. We have to make the right choices. We have to do what’s in the best interest for our partnership. He’s going to go as stud either sooner of later. That’s going to happen no matter what. We are so fortunate to have this horse. What an amazing horse.”

“The decision depends on what happens in the next couple of days,” said owner/trainer Jose De La Torre. “We have a lot of people talking to us that want to stand the horse. They want to put him to work as a stallion. We have made plans to run his as a 3-year-old, but now that he’s won this race we have to take another look at the plans. I enjoy every time he goes out there to race. I will be sad if this was his last day as a racehorse. In the paddock today he wanted to go out and run and he had this look in his eye that said ‘Don’t worry; I’ll take care of things.’ “

“Right now I think it’s 50/50 that he’ll come back to race next year. If it was up to me I would bring him back to race, but I have partners and we have this wonderful horse to consider. I don’t think he needs to do anything else to prove that he is a great horse. He’s written history tonight. If any other trainer, like Paul Jones or anyone else, would have had him, he would have done the exact same thing. He’s just an amazing race horse. I don’t think I’ll ever see another horse like him. He has a gift. He is so talented.”

Earlier this week, One Dashing Eagle hit the track on Wednesday morning to prepare for the Golden State Million. If it was up to the colt, the race could have been held that morning. That’s how ready he was to run according to De La Torre.

“We took him out because he couldn’t wait another day to go out to the track,” he said. “He was going crazy waiting and wanting to go out and do his job. He likes to go on the track and he always has a great attitude when he is out there. I have to give so much credit to the Allred Brothers. Every time you buy a horse from the Allred Brothers operation you get your money back. The brothers are not with us anymore, but the family is still involved in the breeding of horses and we are so glad for that. I believe this victory put his mother, One Sweet Dash, way on top of the list of great broodmares. She is a real special mare and a full sister to Walk Thru Fire. All that family of Walk Thru Fire is amazing. You don’t see horses by Walk Thru Fire running cheap. What incredible bloodlines.”

“One Dashing Eagle has done so much for my family and now it’s time that we do right for him,” Jose De La Torre concluded.

Trained by Mike Casselman, Seperate Interest earned $182,410 for his second place finish in the Golden State Million. The Texas-bred colt by Separatist was fourth at the start, but he steadily made up ground and caught Lucky Seven Ranch’s Amore La Blue in the final yards to finish second. Seperate Interest had won only one of four previous starts and earned under $5,000 coming into this race. Eaves Horses Family Ltd. Partnership bred Seperate Interest.

Saul Ramirez piloted Amore La Blue to run third for trainer Joe Bassett. The filly by Mr Jess Perry and out of World Champion Blues Girl Too earned $128,760.

“We just ran against a monster,” Bassett said.

“We were right there early,” Ramirez added. “I broke with him, but he just beat us because he’s too fast.”

Henoshersecret, Fires Blazin, Tres Coronas Mas, Gold Flames On Fire, Scoop Of Sunshine, Bingo and Watch Linda Ballet completed the field. All nine horses are eligible to run in the Los Alamitos Two Million trials.

Golden State Juvenile Stakes

Howard Nichols’ Jess Being Valiant won the $25,000 Golden State Juvenile Stakes by a neck over Azevedo and Boyles Family Trust and Paul Jones’ Bullet In The Gun. Jess Being Valiant, who ran in the Ed Burke Million earlier this year, earned $16,500 for the win.

The colt by Valiant Hero will also race in the Los Alamitos Two Million trials. Nichols was part of the partnership, along with Kim Kessinger and Tom Bradbury, that won the 2011 Los Alamitos Two Million with the longshot I Like The Odds.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com