Cattail Cover, under jockey Martin Arriaga, won the $30,000 Moonist Stakes Sunday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–MARCH 16, 2025–The English proverb that says "the older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune" suits Link Newcomb’s 8-year-old gelding Cattail Cove perfectly, as the veteran of now 53 starts won his third race in a row while conquering the $35,000 Moonist Stakes for the first time in his third try on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

The third-place finisher in the Moonist in 2022 and the runner-up in the 2023 renewal, Cattail Cove added the Moonist Stakes to his long list of accomplishments after beating seven talented runners in the 400-yard race.

For Cattail Cove, who is a now a six-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos, the son of leading sire Favorite Cartel has now finished third or better in 35 of his 53 career starts. Even more impressive is the fact that 49 of his starts have been in either a stakes race or a stakes trial.

The Steve Burns-bred runner won the Grade 3 First Down Dash Handicap and an overnight Handicap. He finished second in both the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap and the Restricted Grade 1 Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap last year. He has also finished in the top three in 10 other graded stakes races at Los Alamitos, including back-to-back wins in the Grade 3 Independence Day Handicap in 2022 and 2023. 

Trainer Juan Aleman, jockey Martin Arriaga and family accept the Moonist Stakes trophy Sunday night at Los Alamitos Rae Course © William Zuazo

The seemingly ageless Cattail Cove will make a few more starts this year, of course, if he is enjoying the racing nightlife at the Orange County track.

"It’s amazing," trainer Juan Aleman said. "He is all heart. With his age, we were indecisive whether we should run him or not, but Link has said that if the horse wants to keep running, let him run. He’s been showing us that he wants to keep running. What an animal. It’s amazing what he’s doing at 8-years-old with this kind of company and he’s still able to run them down. He’s lost a step at the start, but he knows how to run, and he knows how to finish. I’m so happy to have this horse in my barn and excited for this year because he’s running so well."

Ridden by Martin Arriaga, Cattail Cove fifth at the start before moving up to third with 110 yards on the way to crossing the wire a head in front of Ted Abrams’ 5-year-old standout Doin It Just For Fun.

Cattail Cove covered the distance in :19.889. Winning the Moonist is also a special accomplishment for this old pro, as he was honored with the Moonist Award by the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association because of his consistent racing success in 2022. Cattail Cove earned $19,250 for the win to take his career earnings to $761,545.

"He’s a veteran, has been around, has seen everything," Aleman gushed about Cattail Cove. "He’s the first horse in our barn because I’ve had him for such a long time. He’s a dream to be around. He loves it there (in the barn). He knows the routine and probably knows what we’re going to do before we even do it. It’s a privilege to have him for so long here at Los Alamitos. We take it one race at a time. We evaluate him each time after he races to make sure he’s okay, but he’s an iron horse. If he pulls up good, we’ll be in another stakes race."

Moonist Stakes winner Cattail Cove returns under jockey Martin Arriaga following their win on Sunday night.
© William Zuazo

Ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo, Doin It Just For Fun earned $7,875 for his solid effort in the Moonist. The stakes-winning gelding by four-time world champion sire FDD Dynasty has now earned $124,938 in his 20-race career.

 David Hinkins’ Price Fixer, a son of Favorite Cartel and a multiple stakes finalist, earned $4,375 for finishing third.

Ready For It, SM Jess Corona, Jess Being A Friend, Edberg Verde and Kevins Wise Corona completed the field.

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For more information, please get in touch with larace@losalamitos.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.