Up To Party (#7), under jockey Armando Cervantes, and stablemate Ultimate Battle (#6) run 1-2 in the $1,010,000 Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JUNE 16, 2024–Fastest qualifier Up To Party, the only filly in a highly regarded field of 10 juveniles to the Grade 1, $1,010,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity, took full advantage of a good start and then of a perfect trip to give owners Dunn Ranch plenty of reasons to celebrate after winning the rich 350-yard futurity on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Armando Cervantes for trainer Monty Arrossa, Up To Party broke cleanly from post number seven, picked up speed shortly after the start and then found herself with plenty of room to accelerate while rolling home to a 1/2 length victory over Buckway Ranch LLC's Ultimate Battle in a time of :17.516.

Up To Party earned $407,400 for the win while improving her record to a perfect three for three in her young career. Bred by Ed Allred and Tom Siebly, the filly by 19-year-old stallion Kiddy Up joins her mother, the Walk Thru Fire mare The Partys On Fire, as winners of a million dollar race at Los Alamitos. 

Allred and Siebly owned The Partys On Fire when she won the Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in 2009.

It was The Partys On Fire's racing resume and Kiddy Up's penchant for siring talented, under the radar sprinters that made Dunn Ranch pay attention to the catalog pages of Up To Party and her full brother, Party Time Tom, while scouting prospects at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale last year.

Matt, Bendi and Madison Dunn of Dunn Ranch, jockey Armando Cervantes and trainer Monty Arrossa accept the Ed Burke Million stakes trophy. © William Zuazo

When the gavel dropped, Dunn Ranch had purchased both, Up To Party for a bargain price of $12,000 and Party Time Tom for $33,000.

"I loved her at the sale and bought her full brother too," Matt Dunn said. "And really I bought his full brother, and I liked him but I didn't want to be wrong between the two. I said, 'man, I'm going to kick myself if I picked this one wrong. I was surprised that she brought (at the sale) what she brought. She was kind of tough to break, but once we started working on her she showed a lot of talent early. I had high expectations but I'm not going to say that I came at the start of the year thinking that we would win the Ed Burke with her, but she showed a lot of talent early. She did everything right (in the Ed Burke final). That's what I told Monty before the race. Whatever horse does everything race that's the horse who is going to win."

"We looked at a lot of horses at the sale," Arrossa said. "The Dunns love running in California and they want to support Los Alamitos and the Equine Sale. Matt picked them out. We really liked Pretty Time Tom and he said that he really liked the sister as well. He decided to buy both of them. You can't beat their mother. She was phenomenal. Kiddy Up, I had mentioned (multiple Grade 1 winner) J Fire Up in the past, and I'm not comparing this filly to J Fire Up, but the Kiddys Up can run. We were hopeful that she would perform, and she has.

Ed Burke Million Futurity winner Up To Party after the race. © William Zuazo

"Both of them (Up To Party and Party Time Tom), they have a lot of spirit, they want to buck a little bit" said Arrossa. "They got them going, broke them in Oklahoma. When they sent them out, they really were talking a lot about the colt. They thought he was better. We worked the the first in the backside and the filly outworked him. I called Matt and said, 'I'm surprised, the filly outworked the colt.' He said that he had always liked the filly better, but the guys at the ranch were telling me that the colt was better. Then we qualified him, and I was like 'I don't think so.' Then in the maiden race she was dialed in."

Ed Burke Million Futurity winning trainer Monty Arrossa and jockey Armando Cervantes. © William Zuazo

Arrossa had a big Ed Burke final, as his four trainees in the race finished first, second, fourth and sixth. Ultimate Battle earned $164,900 for running second with James Flores up, while Steve Wright and Gregg Gibson's Laredeaux earned $67,900 for running fourth. AGMW Racing's Fear N Fridays, who ran in the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, earned $48,500 for running sixth in this race.

"Both of them (Up To Party and Ultimate Battle) ran great races," Arrossa said. "Both of them broke and both ran flawless. I couldn't be any happier with both. They stayed out of trouble and that's the name of the game in Quarter Horse racing. They have to break and stay out of the traffic. They did that tonight. Up To Party looked strong. She had been training well all (three) weeks.  She got away like that and was out there clear. In her maiden race she ran towards outside as well, so I felt pretty good about her. She's professional and she's real dialed in."

Dialed in. That's been a term that Arrossa has often used when talking about Up To Party.

"Apollitical Patty, Pattys Saint, some of those, they mature early, and they just get focused on running," Arrossa said. "If you notice, in the paddock tonight she was focused, she was quiet. She was the easiest of the four to saddle. She was pretty laid back. Ultimate Battle was on his toes, Laredeaux was on his toes. The fillies, it just seems like when they get it, they get it. And she's got it."

Races like the Golden State Million and Two Million will be contested at 400 yards and Arrossa feels that Up To Party will still have what it takes to have a good time in those longer distance races.

"She'll continue to mature, and she'll be competitive," Arrossa said. "She's a good eater, she's a good rester, and this filly has been real sound. She just seems to be getting a little better all of the time. We'll give her a little bit of a break and point her to the fall races."

Up To Party now figures to be busy during the fall futurities at Los Alamitos.

"She's in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, Golden State Million and Los Alamitos Two Million," Dunn added. "I'm sure she'll get a break. We'll see how she pulls up after this. The horse will tell us."

Madison and Bendi Dunn (center) and their guests with the Ed Burke Million blanket. © William Zuazo

And is always the case, Arrossa credited his staff for a job well done.

"Over the last three weeks, the grooms have all supported each other and worked together. We had our team in paddock tonight helping each other with bell boots and blinkers. I love horses. I do this for our owners but I'm happy to do it for our guys. I have to throw a shout out to Armando Cervantes. He's done a great job getting our babies ready this year. I think there's no better gate rider than him. Kudos to him. He was calm and cool and collected tonight. He did a fabulous job. He's helped our program immensely."

Racing from post number six, Ultimate Battle was a tad quicker out of the gate that Up To Party, while putting together a very consistent effort from start to finish.

From the stock of AQHA champion breeder Dr. Steve Burns, Ultimate Battle is a colt by Favorite Cartel and out of Just Walk, who is also a daughter of the great Walk Thru Fire. Purchased for $137,000 at the Ruidoso Sale, Ultimate Battle has to be the most talented juvenile maiden on the grounds, as he's now finished second in all three of his career starts.

The Favorite Cartel colt Devils Tower earned $116,400 for running third from the outside post under jockey Oscar Peinado. Juan Aleman trains the Burns-bred runner for owner Gamaliel Garza Garcia. He was purchased for $115,000 at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale.

After fourth place finisher Laredeaux, Keith Nellesen's My Budd crossed the wire in fifth place. Then came Fear And Fridays followed by Allred's Norco, the 6-5 favorite in this race, who broke a bit slow and then was crowded and bothered by his outside rival on the way to losing all chance for a top three finish. Big Hurt finished eighth with Robs Reason and Jess Send Kevin completing the field.

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