$2 Million Futurity Trials

The last big futurity of the year is almost here. Los Alamitos Race Course has a 14-race card tonight featuring 13 trials to the $2 Million Futurity (Races2-14) which has a total of 109 two-year-olds sprinting 400 yards in search of being one of the ten fastest qualifiers that will return for the final.

Some of the horses to keep an eye on tonight are Starlight Delight, Bingo, Emblaze, Kat Quick, Amore La Blue, The August Heat, Entrap, Aha Moment, Native Tea Rose, and Commando Tres Seis. The trials are filled with great runners and i expect some very competitive racing from these runners.

There is a new Daily Double bet in town, the "405 DD". The new bet consists of the last race at Betfair Hollywood Park and the first race at Los Alamitos. This bet will be offered on Sundays all the way through the end of the BHP meet. That is why today's first race at Los Alamitos is a Thoroughbred event.

Remember that today we have three pick-4's to tackle at Los Alamitos. They are in races 1-4, 6-9 and 11-14. One of the bets that always seems to pay great at Los Al is also the $1 Place Pick All. I suggest you give it a shot every time you get a chance. Your horses has to finish first or second to move on and many of times it pays great even though you might not have hit all legs. Last night i placed a $1 straight bet with all my top picks and hit 7 of 9. I will try it once again to night with the same $1 play with all my top picks. It should be a great night of racing so let's get to the selections and plays.


Race   1:  1-5-2
Race   2:  5-3-1
Race   3:  7-9-1
Race   4:  5-7-3
Race   5:  7-6-1
Race   6:  8-4-1
Race   7:  8-9-1
Race   8:  6-9-1
Race   9:  4-2-6
Race 10:  3-7-1
Race 11:  1-2-4
Race 12:  8-3-2
Race 13:  2-8-4
Race 14:  1-6-2

My Plays:

Race 1 $1 Place Pick All ($1): All my top selections.

Race 1 $1 Early Pick Four ($16):  1,5 / 3,5 / 7,9 / 5,7

Race 6 $1 Middle Pick Four ($12):  8 / 8 / 6,9 / 1,2,4,5,6,8

Race 11 $1 Late Pick Four ($24):  1,2,4,7 / 8 / 2,8 / 1,2,6

Good Luck!

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Z Wayne Griffin Directors Trial

It is the time of the year when we hit the home stretch of the racing calendar at Los Alamitos Race Course, the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred meet has about a month left. Tonight's feature event is the Z. Wayne Griffin Director Trial which will decide the last three spots to the GI Champion of Champions for older horses to be run in December.

I am little surprised that only one trial is going to be run given that three berths are up for grabs but this is a quality field of eight that will line up and sprint 400 yards in search of finishing in the top three to move on to the Champion of Champions.

The field is headed by the classy 8-year-old gelding Jess You and I who is looking to earn his fifth appearance in the Champion of Champions (he finished 4th last year). My top pick is another gelding, Senor Toby. Senor Toby comes off a good third place finish behind Cold Cash 123 and Creston Goer (one of his foes here) in the Go Man Go Handicap. Senor Toby shows a bullet 12.00 workout since last seen and I feel he is ready to fire a big one.

Race 1:  2-3-5
Race 2:  3-2-4
Race 3:  6-5-3
Race 4:  6-3-7
Race 5:  2-5-4
Race 6:  6-5-4
Race 7:  1-3-5
Race 8:  5-2-1
Race 9:  2-3-8

My plays:

Race 1:  $1 Early Pick Four ($16):  2 / 2,3 / 5,6 / 2,3,6,7

Race 6:  $1 Late Pick Four ($24):  2,4,5,6 / 1,3 / 1,2,5 / 2

Good Luck!

Remember that tomorrow there is a 14-race card at Los Alamitos featuring 13 trials (Races 2-14) to the $2 Million Futurity. There will be three pick fours offered in races 1-4, 6-9, and 11-14. There is also a new Daily Double bet offered starting tomorrow that will link the last race at Betfair Hollywood Park and the first race at Los Alamitos. I believe that is the reason why Sunday's first race is a Thoroughbred event around the turn.

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Las Damas Handicap (GIII)

Fillies and Mares highlight the Sunday card at Los Alamitos Race Course in the running of the Las Damas Handicap. This Grade III event (Race 9) will have a talented field of ten that will sprint 400 yards down the stretch. Separate Thoughts is the deserving 5-to-2 favorite on Ed Burgart's morning line, she will break from post position number 4.

Another mare that will take some play is Getit Together who comes out of a fast allowance win back in September. She has had trouble at the gate in past efforts but if she behaves and breaks good from the rail post, the others might be running for second.

Trainer Paul Jones has two contenders in the race but i think the one to keep an eye on is Check N Fetch. Her last race is a throw out and her win two starts back was a sharp one. This mare has a good late kick and should have no problem with the distance. She is only making her fourth start for the champion trainer and he knows how to get them ready for the big ones. Watch out.

I will once again miss out on the early part of the card but will be just in time for second half. Keep an eye out on my twitter feed @LosPonies for some selections on the earlier part of the card in case i get to tune in a little early.

Next weekend is another big week at Los Alamitos  where the last remaining berths to the Champion of Champions will be decided with the running of the Z Wayne Griffin trials. In addition, the trials to the richest annual race in California, The Two Million Futurity, will also take place next weekend. Get ready for some outstanding racing and I will see you back here for that. Let's take a look at tonight's late pick four.

Race 6:  6-3-4
Race 7:  1-2-3
Race 8:  6-2-4
Race 9:  1-4-9

My Play:

Race 6:  $1 Late Pick Four ($24):  1,3,4,6 / 1 / 2,6 / 1,4,9

Good Luck!

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The Corona Chick Handicap

The 2-year-olds take the spotlight at Los Alamitos tonight in the running of the Corona Chick Handicap. A field of eight is set to sprint 400 yards and it will go off as the last race of the night. The first and second place finishers of the Autumn Handicap, Sugarbear Sax Man and Secret Hero, are back tonight and are expected to go off as the two top betting choices. A runner to keep an eye on is Creole Williams who has always shown a good late kick and now gets an extra 50 yards to run. I will be tuned in for the second half of the card so i will focus on the late pick four tonight.

Race 6:  1-3-5
Race 7:  3-6-2
Race 8:  1-2-3
Race 9:  4-7-8

My Play:

Race 6:  $1 Late Pick 4 ($24):  1,3,5,6 / 3,6 / 1 / 4,7,8

Good Luck!

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$10,688 Pick Six Carryover up for Grabs

Hola amigos,

I am back after a brief break from blogging for another week of racing at Los Alamitos Race Course with a nine-race card on this Friday evening. The card features five races around the turn for the Thoroughbreds and four races down the stretch for the Quarter Horses which should make for a good competitive card. The featured event is a $20,000 Claimer for Quarter Horses going 330-yards which will go as race 8 on the night. From the betting perspective, the pick-4 pools continue to remain strong and there is also a nice $10,688 pick-6 carryover to tackle tonight so do not get shut out. I do not see any big upsets in the pick-4s so i will play economic tickets and press the repeat button and hope to hit those plays multiple times. The pick-6 looks more difficult but will also tackle it with an economic $32 ticket with two singles. Let's get to the selections and plays.

Race 1:  5-4-9
#5 Front Page Dancer- claimed by Treece, agressive Guce up, blinkers on, expect big effort.
#4 Johan - Biancone ships from across town, bullet 3f drill at SA, blinkers on, bug rider up.
#9 Ride Captain- was my pick last two outs but tired in the late, good speed though.

Race 2:  4-2-5
#4 Big Swiss - effort two & three back wins here, drops class, back to winning rider Navarro.
#2 Hammurabi - 2-for-4 locally, drops in class, has enough speed to stalk leaders.
#5 Get Off The Sugar - troubled trip last out, switches to hot-riding Guce, likes Los Al.

Race 3:  5-1-6
#5 Shady Votes - Dueled from inside post, can steal the race in field with no strong speed.
#1 Three Pointer - Unlucky to lose last out after bad break off of 18-month layoff. Ready.
#6  Boston Baked Bean - decent 3rd last out off of 10-month layoff. Guce gets the call.

Race 4:  3-6-1
#3 Remarkable Cartel - has been facing much tougher, drops class, this is his field to win.
#6 Czech This Dream - good efforts in 3 starts, first time lasix, first time under the lights.
#1 Better Later - has gotten close to breaking maiden, new trainer, has gate speed.

Race 5:  5-4-6
#5 Princess Annabella - dueled open $4k claimers in Fno, Guce takes the call. Interesting.
#4 Looking Out - is 4-for-6 locally, tired at 5f at TuP, had 3-race winning streak at LosAl.
#6 Breathless - good win on Fpx dirt, but stopped badly at GG, good connections.

Race 6:  2-5-4
#2 Loon Lost - consistent, earned career-best beyer last win, Hanson 29% first off claim.
#5 Cruz'n Kitty - Martin ships, mare is 5-for-7 locally, Guce knows her, horse for course.
#4 Lorenbray - dueled and held 4th, is 2-for-3 locally, Craigmyle 31% first off claim.

Race 7:  3-6-2
#3 Levi James - a win & a 2nd at this level, has good gate speed and is still improving.
#6 Boot Up Your Assets - good maiden win, only fourth lifetime start, good post.
#2 More Outs - ignore last race (reared at start), good win at this level two starts ago.

Race 8:  6-3-4
#6 Frequentflyer - stong win at this distance, gets outside post again, best speed number.
#3 Steely - faced starter allowance foes last two starts, filly has talent to win here.
#4 Texas Time Bandit - two strong wins since joining Jones barn, has good late kick.

Race 9:  7-1-4
#7 Dip Dash - good 2nd in debut, leading rider Mendez up, goes from rail to outside.
#1 Stranger Ways - makes 2nd start off layoff, we have not seen best of this gelding yet.
#4 JvBlacky - takes biggest drop out of the field, figures to show run against this group.

My Plays:

Race 1:  $1 Early Pick Four ($9):  5 / 2,4,5 / 1,5,6 / 3

Race 4:  $2 Pick Six ($32):  3 / 4,5 / 2,5 / 3,6 / 3,6 / 7

Race 6:  $1 Late Pick Four ($8):  2,5 / 3,6 / 3,6 / 7

Good Luck with your plays!

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The GI $1,118,000 Golden State Million Futurity

Sunday night brings an end to the racing week at Los Alamitos Race Course with running of the Golden State Million Futurity. The top ranked two-year-old in the nation and fastest qualifier, One Dashing Eagle, is seeking to become the first quarter horse ever to win three races worth a million dollars or more. He is already a two-time GI winner in his short career (6 races) and he is still improving. Scary. I am looking forward to another powerful performance tonight. There is also a nice $13,144 pick-six carryover up for grabs that begins in race 4 and ends with race 9 which is the Golden State Million Futurity. With One Dashing Eagle thrown in the mix, I believe this will be a pick-five for many players. I am turning it into a pick-three by taking three singles in my ticket. Let's get to the selections.

Race 4:  7-1-6
Race 5:  7-6-2
Race 6:  4-2-6
Race 7:  1-6-5
Race 8:  8-3-1
Race 9:  4-6-5

My Plays:

Race 4:  $2 Pick Six ($54):  1,6,7 / 7 / 2,4,6 / 1 / 1,3,8 / 4

Race 6:  $1 Late Pick Four ($9):  2,4,6 / 1 / 1,3,8 / 4

Let's end the week on a winning note. Good Luck!

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The GI $1,000,000 Super Derby

The road to the Champion of Champions continues at Los Alamitos Race Course tonight with the running of the Super Derby. A field of nine talented runners will sprint 400 yards in search of a GI win along with an automatic berth to the prestigious Champion of Champions which is set to be run in December. The Super Derby will go off as the last race on the nine-race card. I will focus on the late pick four tonight. There is also a nice $7,000+ pick six carryover that starts in race 4. Let's get to the selections.

Race 6:  5-6-2
Race 7:  5-7-1
Race 8:  3-5-7
Race 9:  6-4-9

$1 Late Pick Four ($16):  5,6 / 5,7 / 3 / 1,4,6,9

Good Luck!

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The Town Policy Stakes at Los Alamitos

The racing action does not end after the Breeders' Cup across town, it keeps going at Los Alamitos race course with a first post of 7pm. The Town Policy Stakes is the feature race in tonight's nine-race card which will go off as the last race on the card. I like a 6-1 price in race 7 tonight that I will single. Remember that along with the second Breeder's Cup day at Santa Anita tomorrow, we also have the $1,000,000 GI Super Derby on Saturday night at Los Alamitos. Then Sunday night at Los Alamitos also features the $1,118,000 GI Golden State Million Futurity featuring One Dashing Eagle. In other words, we have a loaded weekend of racing ahead of us on both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse breeds. Below are my 1-2-3 picks for the late pick 4 sequence at Los Alamitos along with my pick 4 play. Let's do this.

Race 6:  6-7-1
Race 7:  6-1-7
Race 8:  2-6-7
Race 9:  7-8-9

$1 Late Pick 4 ($20):  6 / 6 / 2,5,6,7 / 1,3,7,8,9

Good Luck!

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Breeders' Cup Friday at Santa Anita Park

Time flies when you are having fun and are busy all the time. That would be me. The Breeders' Cup World Championships are finally here and the amount of buzz that has been spreading through twitter is amazing. Instant updates from the media, fans, trainers, insiders and plenty of other people this past week has flooded my twitter feed with information on the participants who are set to highlight the Breeders' Cup. Horses and Jockeys from all over the world have traveled to beautiful Santa Anita Park in Arcadia to compete in what should be another outstanding two days of racing. The venue is set. The weather is perfect. I am ready. Are you ready?

My Pick 5 & Breeders' Cup Late Pick 4 tickets are listed below. My entire 1-2-3 selections for each race on the card can be found on the consensus at theracingedition.com

Fifty Cent Pick 5:

Race 1:  3,9
Race 2:  5,7,9
Race 3:  1,2,4,5
Race 4:  5   *Late Scratch of #5 @ about 9:30AM* Now using #7 Sweet Shirley Mae
Race 5:  1,11

Ticket Investment: $24

Breeders' Cup Fifty Cent Late Pick 4:

Race 6:  3,5,6,13
Race 7:  1,2
Race 8:  4,6,8,9,10,12
Race 9:  5

Ticket Investment: $24

With big pools expected as always, the majority of my bankroll will go to boxing exactas, daily doubles, rolling pick 3's, trifectas and superfectas. There is plenty of money to be made.

Good Luck!

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