There are just enough seven-figure futurities at Los Alamitos in the final months of the year to keep the Balgo Racing Team stars from facing each other.
After Hot Hitter gave the stable its second major futurity win of 2010 in last Saturday’s $428,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity, Balgo owner Jose Gonzalez said both Hot Hitter and West Coast Hawk, the winner of the Kindergarten Futurity in May, are bound for the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Futurity trials on Sept. 11. The $450,000 final is on Oct. 2.
But in the fall, the pair is going in different races – West Coast Hawk to the Golden State Million Futurity trials on Oct. 15, which has a final on Oct. 29; and Hot Hitter to the Los Alamitos Million Futurity, which has trials on Nov. 20 and a final on Dec. 10.
“To win a couple more futurities with these horses, that would be a dream,” Gonzalez said.
Hot Hitter was the fastest qualifier for the Governor’s Cup Futurity, but was sent off as the 3-1 second choice. Ridden by Juan Andrade, Hot Hitter led throughout, winning by a half-length over 17-1 Tough to Tell, finishing 350 yards in 17.25 seconds. Hawks Dream Girl, the 7-5 favorite, finished third in the field of nine.
The win confirmed Hot Hitter’s status as a top 2-year-old at Los Alamitos this summer, but he may not have been the best 2-year-old racing on Saturday. First Down Illusion, the winner of the $1 million Ed Burke Million Futurity in June, won a division of the minor Freshman Stakes, as a prep to the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity trials.
The Governor’s Cup Futurity was the richest race on the program, which also featured the $204,000 Governor’s Cup Derby and the $100,000 Spencer Childers Championship for older horses.
In the 400-yard Derby, Pink Boots Rm, claimed for $10,000 last August, extended her winning streak to six races with a three-quarter length win over Peace Fire, the winner of the 2009 Governor’s Cup Futurity. Pink Boots Rm, the 4-5 favorite, was timed in 19.50 seconds, slower than her fastest qualifying time of 19.37 seconds from the July 16 time trials.
Owned by Sergio Rodriguez and trained by Adan Farias, Pink Boots Rm will be pointed for the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on Sept. 18. “She impresses me more and more,” Farias said. Pink Boots Rm has earned $100,300 this year.
A Tempting Dash, who won the 2009 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, won the Spencer Childers in his first start for Jose Ramon Sandoval and trainer Jose Antonio Flores. Sandoval recent bought A Tempting Dash privately. In the 400-yard Childers Handicap, A Tempting Dash, a 10-1 shot, outfinished 3-5 favorite A Streakinson by three-quarters of a length, finishing in 19.29 seconds.
Flores hopes that later this year A Tempting Dash can earn a berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 11.
The 11-race Saturday program featured all races for California-breds. The all-sources handle of $1,993,467 showed a 25 percent increase over 2009.
