Los Alamitos Futurity | Horse Racing Free Tips

Flood Of Northern California Horses Swells Fields, Boosts Wagering During Los Alamitos Meet

Large fields, a record Pick 6 pool and payoff, and a fourth consecutive sweep of the Grade 1 Starlet and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert were among the highlights of the 11-day Los Angeles County Fair Winter Thoroughbred meet, which concluded Sunday at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

Buoyed by an influx of more than 200 horses from Northern California – due to the current suspension of racing at Golden Gate Fields – the average field size for the season was nearly nine runners per race, compared to 6.97 for the 2019 Winter meet. There were 854 participants in 98 races during the season.

This led to a sizable boost in terms of business. The average daily handle on races run at Los Alamitos was up 36% over 2019 and average daily handle increased 20% on a comparable basis to last year's Winter season.

“This meet was an unprecedented one,'' said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases in California and elsewhere, racing was conducted safely thanks to the excellent compliance by all participants with the preventative measures in place.

“As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at Golden Gate Fields, trainers and caregivers were not permitted to accompany their horses to Southern California. Los Alamitos management and the connections of those horses from Northern California are indebted to the local trainers who stepped up and assumed the training and care of those thoroughbreds.

“Without their help, the meet would not have been as successful and the owners of the shippers from Northern California wouldn't have had the opportunity to race.

“The Southern California Off-Site Stabling and Vanning Fund also helped mitigate this situation by covering the costs of transporting horses from Golden Gate to Southern California. The efforts of many contributed to how well things went during these three weeks.''

A five-day Pick 6 carryover led to a record total Pick 6 pool – and payoff – Dec. 18. Chasing a carryover that had swelled to $423,178, bettors wagered $1,809,485 for a total pool of $2,232,663. The previous record of $1,558,329 was set Dec. 17, 2016.

There were six perfect tickets two days ago and each was worth $228,816, bettering the previous best of $110,732 Dec. 12, 2014.

Baffert's latest successes in the Starlet and Los Alamitos Futurity were provided by, respectively, 17-1 shot Varda and 19-10 second choice Spielberg. The nose victory by Spielberg over 33-1 shot The Great One was Baffert's seventh in a row in the Futurity and his 13th overall. He won it six times at Hollywood Park between 1997-2013.

The meet's other graded stakes – the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa – was captured by Proud Emma for trainer Peter Miller and owners Gem Inc. and Tom Kagele.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Sensible Cat won the $100,000 Soviet Problem for Irvin Racing Stable and trainer Carla Gaines while 13-1 shot Play Chicken won the $100,000 King Glorious for owner-breeder J. Paul Reddam's Reddam Racing LLC and trainer Doug O'Neill.

Baffert, O'Neill and Jonathan Wong shared the training title with five victories.

Baffert had the most wins (nine) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 27-July 5). O'Neill was second with eight and Steve Miyadi third with seven.

A closing day triple enabled Abel Cedillo to win the jockey title. He finished with 13 victories, one more than Juan Hernandez and two more than apprentice Jessica Pyfer.

For the year at Los Alamitos, Hernandez finished with 16 wins, one more than Cedillo. Edwin Maldonado was third with 13.

Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2021. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin Thursday, June 24 and continue through Sunday, July 4, followed by the Los Angeles County Fair season (Sept. 10-26) and the Winter meet (Dec. 2-12).

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Spielberg Gives Baffert Seventh Consecutive Victory In Los Alamitos Futurity

Trainer Bob Baffert ran his winning streak to seven in the Los Alamitos Futurity on Saturday, but it wasn't easy.

Spielberg, a $1-million yearling purchase by Union Rags, needed every inch of the 1 1/16 miles of the Grade 2 race at the Cypress, Calif., track to catch the front-running 30-1 long shot The Great One, but jockey Flavien Prat got him up in the final jump. The victory was the 13th in the Futurity for the Hall of Fame trainer since Real Quiet won in 1997, when the race was run at Hollywood Park. The Inglewood, Calif., track ran its last race in 2013 and is now the site of an NFL football stadium.

Spielberg ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.56. The Great One held second, with Petruchio a distant third and 4-5 favorite Red Flag fourth in the field of six 2-year-old colts and geldings.

Spielberg paid $5.80 as the second choice in the wagering.

In addition to the $120,000 earned for the win, Spielberg earns 10 qualifying points for the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The second- through fourth-place finishers get 4, 2, and 1 point, respectively. None of the six starters raced on Lasix, a new requirement set by Churchill Downs for horses to be eligible for Derby points.

Updated Kentucky Derby points leaderboard.

Spielberg is owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC and Robert Masterson. Out of the Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, Spielberg was bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and purchased at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the consignment of Lane's End, which stands Union Rags.

The Great One, a Nyquist colt who came into the Futurity winless in three starts, went straight to the lead under Abel Cedillo and carved out fractions of :23.01 for the opening quarter mile, :47.76 for the half, and 1:10.66 for six furlongs. Red Flag raced along the rail as Weston chased the front runner from in between horses, and Spielberg was kept clear on the outside.

Into the far turn, Red Flag failed to enter contention as Spielberg began to make his bid and Weston, who was making his first start around two turns, faltered.

The Great One clung to the lead into the long Los Alamitos stretch, passing the mile marker in 1:35.81 and still in front. But Spielberg was eating into the margin as The Great One began to shorten stride and was just up in a desperate finish.

The victory was the second in six starts for Spielberg, who ran second to Dr. Schivel twice at Del Mar in an Aug. 8 maiden race and the Sept. 7 G1 Del Mar Futurity. He was still a maiden when third behind Get Her Number at Santa Anita in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes on Sept. 26, then defeated maidens at Del Mar Nov. 2, edging the highly regarded Parnelli by a neck. He came out of a fourth-place finish Nov. 15 going seven furlongs at Del Mar in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes. Red Flag won by 7 1/4 lengths for trainer John Shirreffs.

“I'd never ridden him before, but (trainer) Bob (Baffert) told me he was doing great,” said Prat. “The outside was a good draw for him. He broke well and was able to relax. I thought we had it all the way down the stretch but it was close.''

“That horse (runner-up The Great One) was tough to get by,” said Baffert. “We needed every bit of that stretch and we were fortunate to get there. I didn't know if I was going to run him here and I didn't decide until after he worked well this week (six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 Dec. 13 at Santa Anita). I knew he was going to run well because he had shipped well over here and he was really on it in the paddock. I'm just happy for everybody in the ownership group.

“Now we can start thinking (Kentucky) Derby,” Baffert continued. “It starts here for us. I thought it was an easy spot last time (fourth as the 3-5 favorite in the Bob Hope) and he didn't ship well. He got nervous when he got in the stall there and was just flat. We ran him back too quick. I asked Prat if there's more there and he said there's a lot more. I think he'll get better with maturity. He's a beautiful horse.''

Of Baffert's 13 winners of the Futurity, only Real Quiet, the 1997 winner, would go on to win the G1 Kentucky Derby.

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Spielberg Up to Give Baffert Seven Straight Futuritys at Los Al

After 8 1/2 furlongs of Saturday’s GII Los Alamitos Futurity, it was a ‘Close Encounter’ with pacesetting outsider The Great One (Nyquist)–playing ‘Catch Me If You Can’–but $1-million Keeneland September yearling purchase Spielberg (Union Rags) managed to snatch victory from the ‘Jaws’ of defeat, as he was the recipient of the kindest of headbobs to give Bob Baffert his seventh consecutive victory in the event, now held at the Orange County oval.

Drawn widest in a field of six, the second betting choice attended the pace three wide outside of GII Best Pal S. hero Weston (Hit It a Bomb) as the maiden The Great One made play from the fence. The front-runner hit the three-eighths going great guns and took them into the stretch, daring them to catch him. Spielberg emerged as the lone chance to do so as favored Red King (Tamarkuz), impressive in romping in the GIII Bob Hope S. last time out, began to paddle at midstretch. The Great One kicked on gamely into the final sixteenth of a mile, but the blaze-faced Spielberg dug in resolutely and dove home just in front. The win was the 14th overall in the race formerly known as the Hollywood and then CashCall Futurity and the winner represents a seventh different ownership group in the seven years the race has taken place at Los Al.

Second in the Sept. 7 GI Del Mar Futurity and third in the Sept. 26 GI American Pharoah S. as a maiden, Spielberg was more workmanlike than brilliant in graduating by a neck going a mile at Del Mar Nov. 1 and he was exiting a fourth, beaten 9 1/2 lengths, when last seen in the Bob Hope Nov. 15.

“I knew he was going to run well because he had shipped well over here and was really on it in the paddock,” said Baffert. “I thought it was an easy spot last time and he didn’t ship well. He got nervous when he got in the stall there [Del Mar] and was just flat. We ran him back too quick. I asked [jockey Flavien Prat] if there’s more there and he said there’s a lot more. I think he’ll get better with maturity.”

Pedigree Notes:

Spielberg becomes the 16th black-type winner and ninth at the graded level for Union Rags and is bred like his sire’s Grade I winner Union Strike. The winner’s dam is a daughter of SP Miss Kate (Storm Cat)-the cross of Union Rags over the late Overbrook sire is responsible for another two of Union Rags’s GISWs-also the dam of the SWs Outplay (Bernardini), Raconteur (A.P. Indy) and Katerbug (Pulpit). Spielberg’s dual Grade I-winning third dam produced Clear Mandate (Deputy Minister), herself a three-time winner at the highest level and dam of MGSW/MGISP Newfoundland (Storm Cat), GISW Strong Mandate (Tiznow) and SW Full Mandate (A.P. Indy). Miss Squeal is the dam of a yearling filly by Honor Code, a weanling filly by Bernardini and was most recently bred to City of Light.

Saturday, Los Alamitos
LOS ALAMITOS FUTURITY-GII, $200,500, Los Alamitos, 12-19, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:42.56, ft.
1–SPIELBERG, 120, c, 2, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Miss Squeal, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Miss Kate, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Dream Deal, by Sharpen Up (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($1,000,000
Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E.
Masterson; B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien
Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 6-2-2-1, $257,200.
Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Great One, 120, c, 2, Nyquist–Little Ms Protocol, by El
Corredor. ($125,000 Ylg ’19 OBSOCT; $185,000 2yo ’20
OBSOPN). O-ERJ Racing, LLC, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables,
Niall J. Brennan, Tom Fritz & William Strauss; B-Coteau Grove
Farms (LA); T-Doug F. O’Neill. $40,000.
3–Petruchio, 120, g, 2, Into Mischief–Satirical, by Distorted
Humor. O-Perry R. Bass II & Ramona S. Bass; B-Bass Stables,
LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $24,000.
Margins: NO, 3HF, 5. Odds: 1.90, 33.60, 6.00.
Also Ran: Red Flag, Weston, Positivity.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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TVG’s Weekend Coverage Highlighted By Road To The Kentucky Derby Preps

The road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby will run through Remington Park and Los Alamitos this weekend with live coverage of the $200,000 Remington Springboard Mile on Friday and the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on TVG, America's horse racing network. Additional stakes races from Fair Grounds and Gulfstream Park will highlight the weekend's broadcast.

With qualifying points for the 2021 Kentucky Derby on the line, Friday night's $200,000 Remington Springboard Mile has drawn a field of eleven juveniles to compete in the one-mile contest. Outadore, third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) for trainer Wesley Ward, will square off against a pair of rivals for trainer Steve Asmussen including Cowan, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1). Post time for the Remington Springboard Mile is 11:28 p.m. Eastern.

TVG's Mike Joyce and Britney Eurton will be live on-site at Los Alamitos this weekend with expert analysis and insights into Saturday's ten-race card including the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), the fourth race of the day. The race offers points towards a spot in the starting gate at the 2021 Kentucky Derby and has drawn a field of six including Spielberg for trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert has won the last six editions of the Los Alamitos Futurity and saddled Thousand Words to victory in 2019 with Flavien Prat aboard. Prat also has the mount on Spielberg.

The action will continue at Fair Grounds this weekend with a supersized thirteen race card which will feature six stakes races. The thirteenth and final race on the card, the $75,000 Tenacious Stakes, will mark the return of promising 3-year-old Maxfield for trainer Brendan Walsh. A homebred for Godolphin, the dark bay son of Street Sense is undefeated from three starts and has been on the sidelines since a victory in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs in May. Florent Geroux will be in the irons.

The featured race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday is the $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) which has attracted a contentious field of twelve including the 2019 winner, Diamond Oops for trainer Patrick Biancone. The 5-year-old gelding, sixth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) will face off against multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire for trainer Kelly Breen.

In addition to racing from Los Alamitos, Remington Park and Fair Grounds, TVG will also be featuring Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel Park and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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