Gary Laramie’s Jessica Cruz, the 2024 AQHA champion aged mare, will look to win the Grade 2, $60,000 Las Damas Handicap when she heads a strong field of eight distaffers in the 400-yard race to be held on Saturday at Los Alamitos.
A three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos, Jessica Cruz enjoyed the best race of her 30-race career when she posted a gate to wire victory in last year’s Las Damas. The Elena Andrade-trainee is known for her versatility when it comes to winning at any distance. Her stakes wins have come at 220, 350 and 400 yards, and two races ago she was just too quick for her rivals when posting a ½ length win at 110 yards. Trained by Elena Andrade, Jessica Cruz will be ridden by Rodrigo Aceves.
Andrade will also saddle Double Bar S Ranch’s Budderhomesngarden, the winner of the Grade 3 Abigail Kawananakoa earlier this year. The First Down Dash mare is also blazing fast away from the gate, as she showed in her 110-yard allowance win on September 20. Cesar Franco will ride Budderhomesngarden.
The top four finishers of the $35,000 Sound Dash Handicap also return to compete in the Las Damas. P V Quarter Horse Farms’ I Am Candy, who won the Sound Dash, has been sensational in her two local starts this year. She began with a dominant ¾ length win in an allowance event on July 26 and then after a 2 ½ month break return with another strong effort, as she led from gate to wire to win the Sound Dash by a ½ length on October 11. For the year, the 4-year-old by Jess Good Candy has won three of her four starts with all three of her victories coming in convincing fashion. Justine Klaiber will pilot the I Am Candy.
“I Am Candy is really good,” trainer Eddie Willis said. “I’m excited to have her here because of the many racing opportunities for good mares.”
Racing for Steve Burns, Mark and Marta Winslow and Jose Flores, Silver Bac finished second in the Sound Dash, once again showing that she’s developed into one of the top mares on the grounds. Lightly raced in 2025, the 4-year-old by Seperate Interest wrapped up her 2024 campaign by running second in a trial to the Southern California Derby in December before taking the first part of 2025 off. She returned in mid-September with a solid allowance victory before in the Sound Dash with the best race of her career since winning a trial to the 2023 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. If Silver Bac can take another step forward, then her connections could be celebrating a stakes victory in the 400-yard Las Damas.
Parsons Ranch’s Rockin With Energy and P & J Racing’s AJ Born Runnin finished third and fourth in the Sound Dash and now are back for the Las Damas. Rockin With Energy’s resume includes a second in the 2023 Ed Burke Million Futurity, a victory in last year’s Debutante Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and a first in the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap at the beginning of the year. AJ Born Runnin is a three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos and the runner-up in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on September 13. Following that performance, AJ Born Runnin was the 12/5 favorite in the Sound Dash, but she was not sharp early on and finished fourth. Both Rockin With Energy and AJ Born Runnin are capable of much better and both will be top contenders in this race.
Martin Stacy’s Curls Joyful Wagon enjoyed a super campaign at Remington Park in the spring. She won the Grade 1 Junos Request and the Grade 2 Decketta for mares and also ran second in the Grade 2 Easy Date – all at the Oklahoma-track. She actually began the year at Los Alamitos, where she finished third to Rockin With Energy in the Charger Bar. Her last two starts have been at Los Alamitos, but she’s finished out of the money in both outings, including a troubled seventh in the Sound Dash. If Curls Joyful Wagon can show her Remington Park form, she could find herself in the winner’s circle after the La Damas.
Clanfield Act Stables LLC’s Consyderation will complete the field for trainer Felix Gonzalez. She’s made only three career starts, but she was in the mix against top males in an allowance event when running third on September 21.
