Contentious, piloted by Irving Lara, set the pace with the fastest time to the Grade 2, $254,500 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos on Sunday.

© Sylvia Gonzalez

By Orlando Gutierrez

LOS ALAMTOS, CA–APRIL 20, 2026–In a display of sheer dominance from a single barn, trainer Jose Flores saddled five trial winners and qualified a staggering seven of the ten finalists for the Grade 2, $254,500 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity during Sunday’s trials at Los Alamitios.

At the head of this formidable Flores-trained squadron was Contentious, the Favorite Cartel filly who overcame a sluggish start while once again looking like a standout among California juveniles.

The list of 10 qualifiers for the May 10th Kindergarten final showcases a distinct lean towards girl power, as eight of the ten qualifiers are fillies. The Oklahoma-bred gelding Monday Dynasty and the colt Teller Looks MRL stand as the only exceptions to the feminine takeover of the leaderboard.

Here’s the list of Kindergarten qualifiers: Contentious (:15.678), Bridgewater (:15.727), My Favorite Paris (:15.765), AP Eagle Heart (:15.768), Romoland (:15.779), Cyber Eyes (:15.786), Monday Dynasty (:15.789), Call Me Candela (:15.792), Jaque (:15.798) and Teller Looks MRL (:15.814).

CONTENTIOUS IS AT THE TOP OF THE KINDERGARTEN CLASS
Coming into the 300-yard trials, all eyes were on Manuel Chavez and Jose Santos’ Contentious. Having already posted the fastest 220-yard time of the season, the question was how she would handle the added distance and the pressure of a seven-heat trial session. The answer was emphatic, though she didn’t make it easy on her supporters in the early jumps.

Breaking from post number five in the second of seven trials of the night, Contentious encountered a rough start, bobbling and taking contact as the gates flew open. For most two-year-olds, such a beginning can spell trouble in a 300-yard futurity. On this night, it was merely a temporary setback for the Steve Burns-bred filly. Under jockey Irving Lara, she regained her footing, found her stride, and began a relentless surge that saw her overtake Bridgewater to win by a half-length.

Her winning time of :15.678 stood up through the remaining heats as the fastest of the night. With this performance, she holds the distinction of owning both the fastest 220-yard and 300-yard times for a two-year-old Quarter Horse at Los Alamitos this season.

Contentious’s brilliance is a family tradition. A Favorite Cartel filly out of AQHA Champion Aged Mare Quirky, she is a full sister to 2024 Governor’s Cup Derby winner Mask Mandate and a half-sister to Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks qualifier Shiny New, who had the fastest qualifying in last year’s Ed Burke Million Futurity.

For owner Jose Santos, the victory was deeply personal. Santos had one of the top barns at Los Alamitos during the first decade of the 2000s, campaigning horses like Champion of Champions finalists and Grade 1 winners Frankie Shoots and Buccaneer Beach, graded stakes placed runner In Dispute, and Grade 3 winner Kash To Splash. Santos stepped away from racing for nearly a decade before slowly bringing back his racing operation in 2024.

“The Good Lord gave me the opportunity to come back and do what I love,” Santos said.

“I was under the weather for a long, long period of time but the Good Man gave me opportunity to come back and to stay until the time comes. This is what I love. This is life. I thought I was gone, but I have this opportunity to come back. I have 11 horses right now.”

Regarding Contentious’ rocky start, he noted, “It seemed like she got a couple of little bumps at the start, but let’s see what happens.”

Jockey Irving Lara, who would go on to have a tremendous night with three trial victories, echoed the sentiment: "Contentious had minor trouble in the gate. She bobbled back there and it cost her a little bit. Once she got a hold of the track, she started doing great work."

FIVE TRIAL WINS FOR FLORES, SEVEN QUALIFIERS IN TOTAL
While Contentious provided the star power, trainer Jose Flores also enjoyed the volume of top perfomers. By the time the dust settled, Flores had seven horses moving on to the final: Contentious, Bridgewater, My Favorite Paris, Romoland, Cyber Eyes, Call Me Candela, and Jaque.

Flores, a four-time Kindergarten winner, credited his success to a shift in stable strategy and the intelligence of his young trainees. “It’s been a while since I’ve run this many horses in the Kindergarten,” Flores said. “I usually don’t have that many fillies but we started picking up some great fillies like Contentious, who we got for Mr. Santos and Mr. Chavez, and Bridgewater, who we bought from Dr. Steve Burns. These are fillies with great mothers; they’ll be great in the future for breeding purposes."

He continued, “We came into this season hoping to have a stronger barn for the Kindergarten and the Ed Burke Memorial if they come back sound. These fillies are smart and the Kindergarten is not always won by the fastest; it’s won by the smartest."

THE FLORES SEVEN:
Bridgewater (:15.727): This Mpshinning filly, who chased Contentious to post the second-fastest time, is out of the graded stakes-placed runner and $66,000 earner No Arizona.

My Favorite Paris (:15.765): Securing the third-fastest time for owners Larry Stewart and Jerardo Herrera, this Favorite Cartel filly is out of Paris Prize, a two-time winner, $32k earner, and stakes-placed mare.

Cyber Eyes (:15.786): An Arizona-bred filly by Cyber Monday out of Jess Racy Eyes (a daughter of Grade 1 finalist Miss Racy Eyes). She remains undefeated in two starts for the partnership of Mark and Marta Winslow, Julio Encinas, and Flores.

Call Me Candela (:15.792): A daughter of Call Me Cole out of two-time winner DF First Down Cartel, she secured a win for owner Miguel Osorio.

Jaque (:15.798): This KVN Corona filly is out of Ivys Storm, a multiple stakes-placed $43k earner. Owned and bred by Rojas Racing, she is now two-for-two.

Romoland (:15.779): Although second in her trial, this Favorite Cartel filly qualified easily. She is out of top producer Bartiromo, the dam of stakes winner Market Analyst and graded stakes finalists Mornings With Maria and Wire Fraud.

“They’re still learning, it’s a long road ahead but we’ve been blessed with a lot of nice fillies so hopefully they can continue through the year,” Flores added. “We’ve had the fillies Glitter In My Face and Old Girl win this race and also West Coast Hawk for Balgo Racing Team. Sneaky Fast won this race in a big upset for me as well. It takes a special boy to win the Kindergarten. They have to be real powerful and sometimes you come across one that’s real powerful and smart as well at the same time.”

RETURN WINNERS: MONDAY DYNASTY AND AP EAGLE HEART
While the Flores barn occupied the majority of the leaderboard, two other trainers managed to break the "Flores Monopoly" by winning their respective trials.

In one of the night's most competitive heats, Monday Dynasty engaged in a desperate duel with Teller Looks MRL. Monday Dynasty ultimately prevailed by a nose in :15.789. An Oklahoma-bred gelding by Cyber Monday, he is out of Lady Dynasty, a half-sister to 2019 Ed Burke Million winner Flokie. Guadalupe Cortez owns Monday Dynasty, who is conditioned by Grade 1 winning trainer James J. Gonzales II.

Despite the narrow loss, Teller Looks MRL secured the final qualifying spot with a :15.814. The Oklahoma-bred Teller Cartel colt is out of Dashing Executive ($22k earner), making him a grandson of the legendary Executive Looks—the dam of AQHA champion KVN Corona. Owned by Haras Portofino, Teller Looks MRL is trained by Jaime Gomez, who holds the record for most Kindergarten victories with eight.

The final trial went to AP Eagle Heart, a filly by Mpshinning owned by J. Levaughn Gines and trained by Adan Farias. She showed immense grit to defeat Romoland by a nose in :15.768—the fourth-fastest time of the evening. Bred by Fernando Flores and Adan Paredes, AP Eagle Heart is out of Shez A Royal Heart, an unraced daughter of Champion Significant Heart ($257k), a decorated winner of the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels.

Owner Levaughn Gines reflected on the road back to campaigning horses: “We ran horses a long time ago but then we quit for a while. We just got back into it a couple of years ago. In the 1980s, we were in racing quite a bit.”

AP Eagle Heart is the first stakes finalist in California for Gines and certainly among the best Quarter Horses he’s ever owned.

“She’s right there at the top,” he said. “We had a good one once and they say that if you ever get a good one you’ll never be satisfied."

THE ROAD TO THE FINAL
With the stage now set for May 10, the narrative is clear: Can anyone stop the “Flores Seven” juggernaut?

With seven of the ten spots from his barn—and the top three qualifying times belonging to Contentious, Bridgewater, and My Favorite Paris—Flores seems to have all the cards as he looks for his fifth Kindergarten win. However, as the veteran trainer noted, the Kindergarten often favors the "smartest" over the "fastest" and of course, racing luck always plays a role.

While the "Flores Seven" look formidable on paper, a clean break from Monday Dynasty or a late surge from AP Eagle Heart could easily disrupt the script. And then again, no trainer has won the Kindergarten more times than Jaime Gomez, who will saddle Teller Looks MRL in the final.

CLICK HERE for a complete list of the Qualifiers, including their pedigrees and connections.

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