Preview Racing


Spectacular Champion Of Champions Field Set For 50th Running On Saturday At Los Alamitos
Apollitical Pence will try to become the first horse since Refrigerator to win three consecutive Champion of Champions(G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© William Zuazo
Spectacular Champion Of Champions Field Set For 50th Running On Saturday At Los Alamitos

 LOS ALAMITOS, CA—DECEMBER 7, 2022–Champion of Champions week is finally here with one of the greatest fields in the 50-year history of the race set to lineup on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

The Grade 1, $750,000 Champion of Champions is slated as the 8th race of the night with the nation’s best horses coming together in one starting gate with the title of best Quarter Horse up for grabs.

The lineup is simply tremendous with the 10 stars leaving the gate from the following post positions:

Post one will feature Rosenthal Ranch’s Bomb Cyclone, starting from the spot he won the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last year and the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby this year. No horse has ever won both of those races plus the Champion of Champions.

"He’s the fastest horse I’ve ever trained, and I’ve been fortunate to train some great horses," trainer Chris O’Dell said.

Post two will feature the reigning World Champion Danjer, owned by Billy Smith, Downtime Enterprises, and Dean Frey, who also bred and trains the son of FDD Dynasty. Danjer is arguably the best 440-yard horse in the nation, and he’ll be gunning after his 10th Grade 1 victory – all of them at the quarter mile distance.

Post three has Link Newcomb’s Cattail Cove, the final horse to qualify to the Champion of Champions, but an extremely experience horse in stakes race. He’s been in more than 20 of them in his career.

Post four has Sergio Castillo’s Jessapolliticalgirl, a New Mexico-bred and raise mare, who ran a strong second in her Z. Wayne Griffin trial. She also ran third to Danjer is a stakes races earlier this year.

Post five will feature Rosenthal Ranch’s Powerful Favorite, as he’ll make the final start of this racing career. He’s a millionaire, a Grade 1 winner, and the first star from the cross of Favorite Cartel and Remember Me Rose.

Post six will house Dunn Ranch’s Apollitical Pence, at least momentarily before he flies out of the gate in search for his record tying third Champion of Champions wins. He’s won his first two Champion of Champions from this exact starting spot.

Post seven is where Valeriano Racing Stables’ A Pollitical Candy V will look to run the best race of his career at Los Alamitos. He’s shown an incredible late kick, particularly when he qualified to the Los Alamitos Super Derby two races ago. If he can stay with the early pack, he could be the first All American Derby winner to also win the Champion of Champions since See Me Do It in 1989.

Post eight will see Robert Harrison’s Pattys Saint, as she’ll face males at Los Alamitos for the first time after winning the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap and running second in the Las Damas Handicap.

Post nine is the spot for Valeriano Racing Stable’s Sweet Dasha Fire, who is the only sophomore filly in this race, but one with a victory over males in the PCQHRA Breeders Derby and a game runner-up effort to Powerful Favorite in the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials.

Post 10 will have Steve Holt and Jeff Jones’ Empressum looking to mesmerize the racing world, just like he did from that spot in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity earlier this year. The 3-year-old champion in 2021 also won the Go Man Go Handicap from post number six earlier this year.

Here’s Ed Burgart’s morning line for the Champion of Champions.

  1. Bomb Cyclone 3-1
  2. Danjer 3-1
  3. Cattail Cove 30-1
  4. Jessapolliticalgirl 50-1
  5. Powerful Favorite 15-1
  6. Apollitical Pence 2-1
  7. Apolitical Candy V 15-1
  8. Patty’s Saint 30-1
  9. Sweet Dasha Fire 50-1
  10. Empressum 5-2

The Champion of Champions can be seen live on FanDuel TV and is also available on stream at LosAlamitos.com. The Champion of Champions will also be part of a special Day/Night Double at Los Alamitos on Saturday with the first leg being the Grade 1 Starlet behind held at the Orange County track in the afternoon with the Champion of Champions being the second leg of this wager.

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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.