A Famous Ribbon (#5) holds off Hes Judgeandjury (#3) in the $44,506 Bank of America California Championship Challenge on Saturday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–AUGUST 3, 2024–Jose Adrian Aleman’s A Famous Ribbon scored his fourth victory at the classic 440-yard distance while earning a return trip to the Grade 1 Bank of America Challenge Championship after winning the California regional by a neck over 2022 All American Futurity winner Hes Judgeandjury on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Jose Nicasio for trainer Heath Taylor, A Famous Ribbon led from start to finish even after some early trouble to win the $44,506. The effort earned the gelding by One Famous Eagle berth to the Challenge Championship final to be held at The Downs at Albuquerque in late October.

A Famous Ribbon has been in that race before, running fourth to A Tres of Eagle in last year’s Bank of America Challenge Championship held at Lone Star Park.

The Challenge Championship has been an important part of A Famous Ribbon’s racing schedule. He won the regional at Grants Pass last year and was second in the regional at Remington Park earlier this year.

Chris Wade presents the winning connections of A Famous Ribbon the Bank of America California Championship Challenge stakes trophy © Amber Mendez

The 5-year-old gelding has also been well traveled, as he won the Grade 2 Sam Houston Classic Stakes at 440 yards on May 10. He made one other start at Sam Houston this year before making his way to Los Alamitos.

In this race, A Famous Ribbon started from the outside post five, breaking in and bumping with Tha Duke before moving past Howard Nichols’ Jess Being A Friend and then holding off Hes Judgeandjury.

A Famous Ribbon earned $23,144 while covering the distance in :21.640.

"It’s hard to believe that it was a rough run race as it was especially for a five-horse field," Taylor said. "They got in (the gate) and they dispatched them pretty quick. I don’t think (Tha Duke) was all the way ready and then they came together. This horse, the winner, then wanted to get in awfully bad. He was making it really, really tight, but he was finishing strong. Even Jose Nicasio said he was laying in on him trying to get in down here. I don’t know, maybe he was just trying to get away from the grandstand. It made it pretty tight on the other horses. Even Rodrigo (Sigala Vallejo), who was on Hes Judgeandjury, said that he was getting in and making it pretty tight. (A Famous Ribbon) still ran a pretty good race and now he’s got a gate in the $250,000 Bank Of America Championship in Albuquerque going 440. We’ll try to freshen him up and get him ready."

Taylor said that it is possible that A Famous Ribbon will make another start at Los Alamitos. The Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap on August 25 is among the possibilities.  

"It’s changed a little bit since they’ve moved from Ruidoso to Albuquerque and we have a full-time barn in Albuquerque," Taylor said. "It’s changed a lot of things with these Challenge races. We’ll just have to see how the horse comes out of it and go from there."

A Famous Ribbon has won eight of 18 career starts and earned $199,571. Weetona Stanley bred A Famous Eagle in Texas from the Corona Cartel mare Fast Prize Ribbon.

Owned by Steve Holt and Jeff Jones, Hes Judgeandjury earned $10,236 for running second to take his career earnings to $1,990,272. Taylor also trains the son of Hes Relentless.

Trained by Elena Andrade, Jess Being a Friend finished third.  The 5-year-old gelding is by multiple stakes sire Jess Being Valiant.

Grade 1 winner Tha Duke and Cava John Cash completed the field.

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