Superstars Scoops Dynasty (#5) and Empressum (inside) will face each other again on Sunday for a rematch in the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap at Los Alamitos.

© Los Alamitos

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–AUGUST 22, 2024–The Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap was an instant classic last year, with Ed and Von Zae McNelis’ Scoops Dynasty scoring the best of his career by outrunning 2022 AQHA World Champion Empressum by a 1/2-length in the 400-yard stakes.

Now it's time for a rematch of superstars, with Scoops Dynasty taking on Empressum in the 64th running of the Go Man Go on Sunday night at Los Alamitos. Add top names like Grade 1 winner Jeriko, Brazilian star Edberg Verde, plus talented stakes runners Cattail Cove, That Duke, and Required First, and this year's Go Man Go should be another dandy of a race. 1

Returning to defend his Go Man Go title, Scoops Dynasty will make his first start since running third in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship. He will look to become the first sprinter to win back-to-back runnings of the Go Man Go since the great Heza Dasha Fire accomplished the feat in 2016-17.

Only three others have successfully defended in the Go Man Go, those being Jess You And I (2008-09), Go Derussa Go (1968-69), and Duplicate Copy (1966-67).

Duplicating as a Go Man Go winner would be Scoops Dynasty's most important accolade of his career. The son of FDD Dynasty already enjoys an impressive resume following a sophomore campaign in which he won the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, the Adequan California Derby, and the Grade 2 Golden State Derby. He also finished his 2022 campaign with six wins from seven starts. His only blemish being a runner-up in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby.

His 2023 season was full of gutsy efforts, which included his third in the Brad McKinzie and second-place finishes in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity and the Bank of America California Challenge Championship – both narrow losses against Empressum.

Scoops Dynasty’s determination finally paid off in the Go Man Go with his outstanding win over his decorated rival. With all that being said, winning back-to-back Go Man Go runnings and joining the likes of Heza Dasha Fire and Jess You And I would surely elevate Scoops Dynasty to great heights rarely reached by Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos. Armando Cervantes will ride the $562,539 earner for trainer Monty Arrossa.

Owned and bred by Steve Holt and Jeff Jones, Empressum will look to avenge his runner-up effort in last year's running while also looking to become only the third horse to win the Go Man Go more than once but in non-consecutive years.

Whosleavingwho, the 2002 Co-World Champion, won his first Go Man Go during this world title year in 2002 and came back three years later to add a second victory in 2005.

The wonderful mare Charger Bar, the 1971 AQHA World Champion, won her first Go Man Go in '71 and waited three years to score a second victory in 1974.

Empressum hopes his wait is not as long. He won the Go Man Go in dazzling form in his World Champion year in 2022, posting the second-fastest time in the stakes' history :19.31.

Empressum faced Scoops Dynasty six times last year, and the Go Man Go was the only time that Scoops Dynasty finished ahead of him. Of course, Empressum has been one of the best to race at Los Alamitos in this century and enters with a career record of 23 wins from 33 starts and earnings of $2,083,623.

He’s also already won seven graded stakes races at Los Alamitos, including the 2022 Champion of Champions, which makes him the leading active winner of stakes races at the Orange County oval. Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo will ride Empressum for trainer Heath Taylor.

Bobby Cox’s Jeriko won the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby last year and will go over $900,000 in career earnings if he runs fifth or better in the Go Man Go. The gelding by One Famous Eagle also enters the Go Man Go after running an excellent race, finishing second to Empressum in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity on July 7. He also ran a strong fourth as a 3-year-old in last year’s Champion of Champions.

Mauro Eli Zaborowsky’s Edberg Verde has been outstanding in his two allowance victories here but will need to be even sharper now in his third race against stakes runners. Paul Jones trains the Samba star.

Miguel Romero Jr. and Ashton Elder’s multiple graded stakes winner, Tha Duke, was fourth in his California debut when running fourth in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Championship Challenge Stakes. He should be much better with some racing experience under the Southern California lights.

The ageless Cattail Cove, owned by Link Newcomb and trained by Juan Aleman, will make his 48th career start while looking for his first Grade 1 stakes win. A multiple stakes winner here, Cattail Cove ran second in the Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap and has hit the board 31 times in his exemplary career.

George and Ruben Villalobos’ Required First, a multiple graded stakes place runner and winner of $205,813, will complete this strong field.