Sweet Tess will enter as the richest runner in this eight-horse field thanks to her upset win in the $438,000 Oaks on March 26.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—NOVEMBER 4, 2022–Los Alamitos Oaks winner Sweet Tess and the graded derby placed runner Dasha Dynasty are among the talented runners that will be in action in a pair of $25,000 stakes events on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

The 10-race program will eight Quarter Horse stakes events with 2021 Los Alamitos Equine Sale high seller So So Beautiful among the juvenile sprinters that will be in action this evening.             

Led by S-Quarter K LLC, Robyn Gordon and Juan Moya, Golden State Derby finalist Dasha Dynasty will lead a field of 10 sophomores in the Town Policy Handicap at 350 yards.

The colt by FDD Dynasty ran third in the Golden State Derby two outings ago and competed in the Golden State Million Futurity last year.

His rivals will include Alfredo Alonzo’s Da Special One, the winner of the Jens List Memorial Stakes, and Dianna Estrada’s Press Is My Hero, a finalist to last year’s Grade 1 All American Futurity.  

Justanold Love Handicap

In the $25,000 Justanold Love for sophomore fillies, Ed and Theresa DeNike’s Sweet Tess will enter as the richest runner in this eight-horse field thanks to her upset win in the $438,000 Oaks on March 26.

Her rivals in this race will include 2021 Governor’s Cup Futurity winner She Goes Up and recent Corona Kool Stakes winner Majority Interest. Imperativ, who ran sixth in the All American Oaks and Corona Kool runner-up Need A Favor are among the others to watch in this 350-dash.                       

In the ninth, So So Beautiful, the $520,000 Equine Sale record purchase from last year, will make her anticipated career debut in this race.      

Remembering The Great Mare Justanold Love

The Justanold Love Stakes is named in honor of a great mares who just loved the big stage.

Bred by Anne and B.F. Phillips, Jr., owned by J.E. Jumonville Jr., trained by Charles “Bubba” Cascio, Justanold Love had a story booked career that featured 14 wins from 26 starts, earnings of $949,836 and stakes victory in two of the biggest races in the sport, the 1982 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs and the 1983 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos.

J.E. Jumonville with Dash For Cash daughters Justanold Love and Queen For Cash. © ca. 1982

She also won the Miss Princess Handicap as an older mare and the Las Ninas Handicap during her 2-year-old campaign at Los Alamitos. She was a stakes winner at Mr. Jumonville’s home state, as she took home the trophy in the Lafayette Inaugural at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana.

Incredibly, Justanold Love was never an AQHA champion, but the closer one looks at her career the clearer it becomes that she was one of the greatest mares of her generation. Third in the 1981 Skoal Dash For Cash Futurity, which was at the time Los Alamitos’ richest futurity, she made history in the All American Derby when she handed Ruidoso’s Triple Crown winner Special Effort the first loss of his brilliant career.

Third in the Los Alamitos Derby and fifth against older horses in the Champion of Champions during her sophomore campaign, Justanold Love saw the AQHA title go to another incredible filly, Dashingly, who she had actually defeated in the All American Derby.

The following year, Justanold Love’s crowning achievement came in the 12th ever running of the Champion of Champions against an incredible field with combine earnings of more than $8 million.

That field featured the industry’s all-time richest female (Dashingly), gelding (Higheasterjet) and stallion (Mr Master Bug), plus defending Champion of Champions winner Sgt Pepper Feature and superstars War Star Wrangler, The Black Alliance, Scott Lewis, Shirley B Gayle and Too Tidy Sis.

Justanold Love beat them all in her career’s swan song. At the finish line, it was Justanold Love with an unforgettable race, as she joined her sire, Dash For Cash, as the Champion of Champions winners for Hall of Fame trainer “Bubba” Cascio.

The 1983 champion aged mare was Dashingly, who was also named AQHA World champion that year, after a season that included victories in the Go Man Go Handicap, Vessels Maturity and All American Gold Cup to go along to her fourth place finish behind Justanold Love in the Champion of Champions. A look back at the 1983 Champion of Champions can be seen at the 37th minute mark of the Los Alamitos Preview Show from this week.

Justanold Love would then become a broodmare for Mr. Jumonville and made racing headlines nationally when she was bred to the great Thoroughbred Alydar in 1984. Their foal was named Alydash, who made four starts, hitting the board once.

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For more info, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at losalamitos.com.