Governor's Cup Futurity winner Favorite Jesshawk will be among 101 juveniles in trials to the Grade 1, $1,073,800 Golden State Million Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–OCTOBER 3, 2024–Led by Buckway Ranch's Ultimate Battle, twice a runner-up in major futurity races in California, and EG High Desert Farms' Favorite Jesshawk, winner of the Governor's Cup Futurity, a tremendous group of 101 juveniles will be in action in the trials to the Grade 1, $1,073,800 Golden State Million Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Los Alamitos will host the first of two sessions of the Los Alamitos Equine Sale. Close to 200 yearlings and broodmares will enter the auction ring over the course of the two-day sale on October 5 and 6. Both sessions will get underway at noon.

The night will consist of 12 trials at the 400-yard distance with the horses with the 10 fastest times advancing to the Golden State Million final on Sunday, October 27.

And with every race on the card being a trial race, the 12-race program will feature three Pick Four wagers and will start at 6 p.m. Average field size for the program is 8.41 horses per race.

In addition to the two headliners, 11 other runners on Saturday have already won a trial to a major futurity at either Ruidoso Downs, Remington Park, or The Downs at Albuquerque. Twenty-two of the sprinters in this mega-card have previous experience in a stakes race finale.

Ultimate Battle gets top billing after a pair of outstanding efforts in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. The colt by Favorite Cartel was second in both of those races, both times against the undefeated filly Up To Party. With Up To Party choosing to focus on the trials to Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, Ultimate Battle will now look to have a big share of the spotlight when he leads the field in the ninth race.

Buckway Ranch's two-time Grade 1-placed Ultimate Battle will race in Saturday's trials. © William Zuazo

James Flores, who has expertly ridden Ultimate Battle in each of his last four outings, will once again be at the controls for trainer Monty Arrossa. The Steve Burns-bred runner will start from post number two, which is the same spot from where he won his trial to the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity on August 25.

Keith Nellesen's My Budd, who was second in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity and fifth in the Ed Burke, is one of the eight standouts set to challenge Ultimate Battle. Cheryl Stokes, Armando Arreola and Tungsten Racing Partnership's Train B Taka, the runner-up in the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park on April 6, will also be in action in this race.

Favorite Jesshawk, who dominated the Governor's Cup final after scoring a neck victory in the trials, lands in the tough seventh trial. The homebred trained by Jesus Nunez will face four out-of-state trial winners, including Reliance Ranches' Hott Temptation, who was sixth in the Grade 1 Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park.

Dunn Ranch's Americas Heartbreak, a winner of a trial to the Grade 1 All American Futurity, and Caliche Walls Venture's Lethal Cowboy 123, a winner in the trials to both the Grade 1 Rainbow and Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity, will also be part of this trial. Wishbone Partnership's Brisa De Mar, who won her trial to the Grade 2 Remington Park Futurity, has also been drawn in this salty affair.

Ed Allred's Do The Job, who has posted three strong efforts that included a second place finish to My Budd in their Ed Burke trial, will headline the first heat on Saturday. Dunn Ranch's Outtasyght, a $320,000 purchase at the Heritage Place Sale last year, and Johnny Trotter's Apprehensive, a full brother to Grade 1 winner You Can Run, will also be in action in this trial.

Tungsten Racing Partnership and Heysol Howlet's Eagle Aye, a daylight winner in his Ruidoso, Rainbow, and West Texas Futurity trials and a finalist to the West Texas, gets the early checkmark in trial number two. The Eddie Willis-trainee will face Oklahoma Juvenile Stakes finalist Sin Tachas Eagle and West Texas Racing Partners' Lytes Out, who posted an impressive allowance win in his Los Alamitos debut.

Licon Farm and Ranch's Apolitical Chilitas and Trotter's Cartel Perry, both winning performers in Oklahoma and New Mexico, respectively, will be in action in trial three. Invasive, who finished in the top three in his trials to the Ruidoso, Rainbow and All American futurities, joins Apolitical Chilitas and Cartel Perry as a top contender in this event.

Gentry Farms' Ohana Spirit, who won her trial to the All American Futurity by two lengths, is the one to watch in race four. She followed that outstanding victory with a strong fourth to the talented Aguila Rapida in the $200,000 All American Juvenile. Other top names in this trial include Red Jet, who also competed in the All American Juvenile, and recent local winners Blood Viper and Big Bang Rocket.

Reliance Ranches LLC's Snow Bound, a finalist in both the Governor's Cup and PCQHRA Breeders, will headline trial five. He'll be facing strong recent winners Brown Coffeee, Clareets Boy and American Dreamin, all winners in their local debuts after arriving here via New Mexico.

Dunn Ranch's City Of Blood, a half-brother to Apollitical Pence, is among the top names in race six. Others in this trial include two-time local winner Sassy Britches, who is owned by Melany and Ron Shalz, and Gentry Farms' Beach Walk, who has posted four strong efforts in her career.

Gamaliel Garza Garcia's Devils Tower, third in the Ed Burke, and an impressive daylight winner of two races here, will be in action in race eight. Cade Burns' Naïve, a Governor's Cup Futurity finalist, will also be in action in this race.

Gregg Gibson and Steve Wright's Laredeaux, fourth in the Ed Burke, and a two-time eye-catching daylight winner here, leads the 10th race. Nellesen's Ed Burke finalist Jess Send Kevin and Oscar Andrade and Steve Burns' Governor's Cup finalist Mas Prieta will also be in action in this heat.

Trotter's Racy Favorite and Dunn Ranch's Catchin Waves, both All American Futurity trial winners, will face off in the 11th race.

There are four other winners in this group to add to his depth and quality, while the 12th and final race will have Tungsten Racing Partnership's Rush My Hocks and Empire Racing, Pavon Racing and Howlet's All About Fire as two of the names to watch. Rush My Hocks and All About Fire have both won futurity trials at Ruidoso Downs.

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For more information, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.