The Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity has become a race in which rare gems can be found. Just a year ago, Show N Tell Cartel was claimed out of the final for $16,000 and he went on to qualify to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and earlier this year he won the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby.
Other top runners to graduate from the Claiming Futurity include Hay Shaker, who was claimed when winning the 2022 Claiming Futurity and would then qualify to both the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity and Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity for his new connections.
And while some owners have been fortunate to find gems in the Claiming Futurity final, those that qualify to the race can also enjoy a nice payday in the form of the solid purse featured in the final. Horses in this year’s Claiming Futurity will run for $47,500 in prize money and will each be eligible to be claimed for $16,000 each in the final to be held here on Sunday, August 17.
A pair of trials were contested on Sunday night with CD Horses’ CD Kellys Cartel and Bradbury Racing and Paul Jones’ Unmarked posting solid victories in their respective 350-yard trials. Ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Jaime Gomez, the homebred CD Kellys Cartel finished as the fastest qualifier thanks to a strong finish and a winning time of :18.065. The Cesar Dabdoub-bred runner was picking up his first win five starts. The California-bred was sired by the champion Foose and is out of the King Of The Tracks broodmare Kellys De Arizona.
Henry Lopez piloted the Mental Error gelding Unmarked to victory in the opening trial in the third fastest qualifying time of :18.110. Bred by Sheryl Edgar, Unmarked was also winning for the first time in five starts.
“I think this race is important for the horses that aren’t quite up to caliber for the big futurities,” Jones said. “It gives them another option to run in for a little bit of money so that people can afford to keep the horses that are kind of the second level horses in training and have a spot to run them in. I think it’s an important race for that and a really good option for those kind of horses.”
A member of the AQHA Hall of Fame, Jones won this race with the previously mentioned Hay Shaker.
Ed Allred’s Glendale Boy posted the second fastest qualifying time of :18.103 after running second to CD Kellys Cartel in the final trial. The gelding by Fly Thru The Fire has been on good form of late, having won on May 31 before running third against allowance foes in his previous start. Scott Willoughby trains Glendale Boy, who was ridden by Gabriel Lara.
The complete list of qualifiers is as follows: CD Kellys Cartel (:18.065), Glendale Boy (:18.103), Unmarked (:18.11), Dr Valiant Ways (:18.113), First Class Cruise (:18.139), Bandera De Mexico (:18.163), Val Fancy (:18.204), Tutitu (:18.284), Mr Cappuccino (:18.326) and Terra Famous (:18.352).
