CASSELMAN SENDS MAYOR HUMDINGER TO WIN GOVERNOR’S CUP FUTURITY
For the second time in the past three years, Mike Casselman won the Governor’s Cup Futurity with a horse which he bred, owns and trains after the Mpshinning gelding Mayor Humdinger outfinished fastest qualifier El Dictator by a neck to win the Restricted Grade 2, $255,000 final on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.
The Governor’s Cup Futurity was the richest of six stakes races held during the 26th edition of California Breeders Champions Night. The racing extravaganza for Cal-breds featured a total of $610,000 in purse money with the $175,000 Governor’s Cup Derby and the $75,000 Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap among the other big money events contested on the night.
Ridden by Martin Arriaga, Mayor Humdinger was one of three juveniles trained by Casselman in the Governor’s Cup Futurity. The most accomplished of the three was Steve Burns’ French Valley, who had run second in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 15 before posting a 1 ¼ length victory in the Governor’s Cup trial to help her become the 6-5 favorite in the final. However, it was 6-1 choice Mayor Humdinger who carried the flag for the Casselman barn, as he shook off a bump at the start, accelerated quickly and would not be denied his third straight victory, which included a nail-bitter of a Governor’s Cup trial win on July 5. Casselman also won the 2023 running of this race with Mayor Humdinger’s half-brother, the Separate Interest gelding You See That, who won at 7-1.
Casselman owned and trained Mindys Favorite, who is the dam of Mayor Humdinger and You See That. In 10 career starts from 2015 to 2016, the daughter of Favorite Cartel won three races and finished in the money a total of seven times. She earned just over $20,000, but her two stakes winning sons have now combined to earn $242,980. Mayor Humdinger earned $105,000 for his Governor’s Cup win to take his career bankroll to $113,285 from his four starts. He covered the 350 yards in :17.611.
“You know, Dr. Burns gets all the credit for the breeding and everything he does,” Casselman says. “When he calls me and says, ‘What should we do?’, I say ‘Whatever you want to do.’ He’s been responsible for my breeding program, and we’ve been lucky. This horse just has a super mind. He’s really laid back. He doesn’t look like he likes to run. He’s been a lot of fun. In the mornings he’ll get up and do his job and then just laid down on his stall. Before his first race I remember they came to watch him jog and they said what’s wrong with him? He’s just slow and eases around, but when it’s time to run, he applies himself.”
Casselman, 72, credited his assistant trainer, Heraclio Botello, for a job well done.
“He’s responsible for a lot of what we do,” he said. “We think a lot alike and I’m getting to the age where I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this. He’s been there now and does a lot of my gallops and has a lot of input on what we’re doing.”
With Armando Cervantes up for trainer Ramiro Castillo, El Dictator earned $42,500 for running second for owners Travis and Wendy Saxton. Bred by Jaime Gomez, the gelding by Favorite Cartel is out of This Boogie Fires, who produced Governor’s Cup Futurity winner J Fire Up. This was El Dictator’s first loss in three starts. Kolleen Ledgerwood’s Fancy Upp earned $30,000 for finishing third with Irving Lara up for trainer Cesar DeAlba. Slatedtoshine, Hurry Up, French Valley, Bear Down, Brother Ray, Next Norco, and Hidden Speed completed the field.
CATTAIL COVE IS GREAT AT AGE 8, WINS SPENCER CHILDERS
At the age of 8, Link Newcomb’s Cattail Cove earned his eight career stakes win, but first in a Grade 1 stakes race following his decisive ½ length victory in the running of the Restricted Grade 1 $75,000 Spencer Childers Championship Handicap here on Saturday. Cattail Cove’s 13th and biggest win came in his 56th career start and he might just be getting better with age.
Bred by Steve Burns, the gelding by Favorite Cartel has won four of his five starts in 2025 and five out of his last six outings. He’s also won four stakes races during that span including the Grade 3 First Down Dash Handicap in December and the Grade 3 Kaweah Bar Handicap on April 26. The seemingly ageless runner out of the Separatist mare Katie Katella has finished in the money in 37 career starts and he’s now raced in either a stakes or a stakes trial in 52 of his 56 career starts. Ridden by Martin Arriaga for trainer Juan Aleman, who has cared for him from the start, Cattail Cove earned $41,250 for this win to take his career bakroll to $820,295. Racing from post four as the 1-5 favorite, Cattail Cove covered the 400 yards in :19.919.
“He’s the longest horse I’ve ever had in my barn,” Aleman said. “I’ve had him since he was two. We broke him, we brought him along, he’s a special horse for the barn. I’m so thankful to Link for giving me the opportunity to train a horse like this. The horse has so much heart. He had to run a big race tonight and he did. He’s lost a step at the start with age but once he gets rolling and if they’re not too far away from him, he seems to know where the finish line is and get there before the other horses do. He’s an amazing animal to see him running at the level that he’s running at his age. He’s a wonder and a miracle that he’s still doing this. We’re happy to have him and he’ll let us know when it’s time to retire him. We’ll see how he pulls up and maybe the Go Man Go (at the end of August) is next.”
Ed Allred’s Boardwalk finished second with Ricardo Ramirez up for the Scott Willoughby trainee. The Favorite Cartel gelding earned $16,875. His stablemate Listen Now earned $9,375 for running third with Jose Nicasio up. Special Two Corona and Nationalist completed the field. London Toby, the winner of this race each of the past two years, was scratched as a precaution to a skin allergy.
DEFENDING CHAMP WINS DERBY TO GIVE WILLOUGHBY HIS 100TH STAKES WIN AT LOS ALAMITOS
Ed Allred’s Defending Champ broke near the early leader Walking Tool and that was the winning move, as the always powerful closer inhaled his rivals in the final 150 yards to win the $175,000 Governor’s Cup Derby by a ¾ lengths to give trainer Scott Willoughby his 100th Quarter Horse stakes win at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Gabriel Lara, Defending Champ took the lead at about the midway point of the race and for anyone that has been watching this horse this year, it was clear that no one was going to catch him or outfinish him. In the end, the Steve Burns-bred gelding by Favorite Cartel covered the 400 yards in :19.692 to earn $71,400 for the win. Second in the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby on March 23, Defending Champ scored his fourth win in 11 starts while taking his career earnings to $175,253.
For Willoughby, he became only the sixth trainer to reach the century plateau in stakes wins here. He joins Blane Schvaneveldt (387), Paul Jones (351), John Cooper (122), Jaime Gomez (107) and Jose Flores (101) in this club.
“This means a lot,” Willoughby said. “I’ve run horses here for over 25 years now and with Doc (Allred) over 20 years. The rider, Gabriel Lara, he’s doing a fantastic job and winning 100 stakes here means a lot to me. (Defending Champ) ran a great race tonight. His main thing is getting away from the gate because he’s so big. He left there tonight better than I’ve ever seen him. He did it at the right time and it worked out perfectly. He’s just getting better every trip.”
EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk also picked up speed at the midway point to take second place and held off the others to earn $28,900 for his runner-up effort. The son of A Mere Felix was hoping to become only the ninth horse to sweep the Governor’s Cup Futurity and Derby, but a second place to the impressive Defending Champ is a result to be proud of. Ricardo Ramirez piloted him for trainer Jesus Nunez. Its On You, also owned by EG High Desert and trained by Nunez, earned $20,400 for finishing third. Martin Arriaga was aboard the filly also by A Mere Felix. Walking Tool, Party Time Tom, Call Her Perfect, Up To Party, Personal Attack, Snow Bound and Back At It completed the field.
MARKET ANALYST’S STOCK IS HIGH AFTER MATRON WIN
Market Analyst’s arrow is pointing straight up as she profited from a clean journey and a strong finish to win the $50,000 Rolling A Ranch Matron Stake for fillies and mares on here on Saturday night.
Owned and bred by Steve Burns and trained by Mike Casselman, Market Analyst won the 350-yard race by a head while covering the distance in :17.827. Ridden by Cruz Mendez, who has won 1,113 Quarter Horse races and 98 Quarter Horse stakes wins, Market Analyst was picking up her fifth win in 15 career starts. Sired by Favorite Cartel and out of the fine broodmare Bartiromo, the 4-year-old Market Analyst earned $27,500 to take her career earnings to $78,914.
For Burns, a three-time AQHA Breeder of the Year, it’s always important to have one of his talented racing mares become a stakes winner. Market Analyst now has that distinction which means a successful career in the breeding shed is in her future.
“She’s been a top qualifier to a derby here last year but wasn’t able to run back,” Burns recalled. “It’s great to finally get a stakes win. Her mother is a Walk Thru Fire mare out of Babe On The Fly, who next to Remember Me Rose has been our best producing mare. It’s good to see Market Analyst have this success.”
Market Analyst is a half-sister to the graded stakes placed Mornings With Maria, a winner of $105,000, and a full sister to Wire Fraud, who won his racing debut and ran third in his Ed Burke Million Futurity trial in his only other start.
In The Mode, who was ridden by Gabriel Lara for trainer Scott Willoughby, earned $11,250 for running second. Howard Nichols’ Heather Denise earned $6,250 for running third with Ecstatik, Temple Court and Phoebes Baby Girl rounding out the field.
UP FOR EVERYTHING, SEE IT CLEARLY GIVE BARN TWO MORE WINS
On the same night that he reached the milestone figure of 100 Quarter Horse stakes wins at Los Alamitos, trainer Scott Willoughby added two more stakes wins to his total after Up For Everything won the $25,000 Sprint Stakes and See It Clearly took the $30,000 Debutante Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. All three of Willoughby stakes win came with horses owned by Ed Allred and ridden by Gabriel Lara.
While Defending Champ pulled away to a convincing Governor’s Cup Derby win to give Willoughby his 100th stakes win here, Up For Everything was in a nail-bitter in the Sprint. In the end, the gelding by Favorite Cartel held off Steve Burns’ Winners Share by a nose. Racing from post one, Up For Everything covered the 350 yards in :17.726 to earn $13,750 while scoring his fifth win in 25 starts.
“He’s a big horse but he seems to get away from the gate great,” Willoughby said. “He doesn’t finish as well as Defending Champ. We put him in the Sprint going 350 and it worked out just right.”
Also from the rail, See It Clearly won the Debutante after accelerating to the lead after the first 50 yards and then cruising to a ¾ length win in the 350-yard dash. The filly by Fly Thru The Fire covered the distance in :17.810 while scoring her fourth win in 10 starts. See It Clearly entered this race after running fifth against males in the Vandy’s Flash Handicap on June 27. Back against fillies, she was too strong and her earnings of $16,500 took her career total to $41,190. Deluxe Cartel, Alexia Czech, Be Careful, Competent and Malynche completed the field.
Willoughby now has 28 stakes win on California Breeders Champions Night to rank second all-time. Paul Jones is the program’s all-time leading trainer with 34 wins.
