Bobby Cox’s Jeriko will look to become the first back-to-back winner of the Grade 1, $100,000 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship since Heza Dasha Fire in 2016-17 when he takes on a field full of superstars and top-level performers in the 440-yard classic here on Saturday night.
The 10-horse field for the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship will also feature the 2023 winner and two-time Champion of Champions winner Empressum for owners Jeff Jones and Steve Holt. Jeriko and Empressum have faced each other five times before in a Grade 1 stakes race with one of them coming out victorious on four of those occasions. Other Grade 1 stakes winners in the field include Weetona Stanley and Dunn Ranch’s Stanley Cartel, Reliance Ranches’ Unrelentless and Manny Dutchover and Abel and Ethan Lopez’s Shakers No Secret. The rest of this outstanding field will also consist of Brazilian star Edberg Verde, third in last year’s Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, Kaweah Bar Handicap winner Kevins Wise Corona and multiple Grade 1 finalist Vegas Trick. Talented sprinters Boardwalk and RS Shere Khan round out the 10-horse field.
Since the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship was changed from being run twice a year (spring and fall) in the early 1960s to being run just once a year starting in 1967, there’s only been five Quarter Horses that successfully defended their titles in this race. The legendary two-time World Champion Refrigerator became the first in 1992-93 followed by Heza Ramblin Man in 1997-98. Catchmeinyourdreams became the only horse in history to win the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship in three straight years (2003-05) with the only other back-to-back winners being Freaky (2009-10) and Heza Dasha Fire.
Trainer Chris O’Dell did a masterful job managing Catchmeinyourdreams’ remarkable career and he’s now been entrusted with training the 2004 winner Jeriko. O’Dell saddled Jeriko for the first time in an allowance event at 400 yards with the son of One Famous Eagle scoring a half-length victory with jockey Jesus Rios Ayala piloting him for the first time back on September 14. A winner of 10 races, two Grade 1 stakes and $1,013,172 in earnings, the 5-year-old Jeriko to secure a presumptive berth to the Champion of Champions with a victory in this race.
Jeriko’s last appearance in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship was a memorable one, as he delivered a flawless effort in route to a 1 ¾ length victory. Jeriko entered the race after being disqualified from first and placed seventh in the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap seven weeks earlier with Empressum getting moved up from second to first following the disqualification.
Jeriko and Empressum have yet to earn a presumptive berth to the Champion of Champions. Empressum is hoping for a fourth consecutive appearance in the Champion of Champions, while Jeriko is looking for his third consecutive spot in the starting gate of the sport’s most prestigious race for older Quarter Horses. Ayala will be aboard Jeriko from post number five on Saturday night.
Trained by Elena Andrade, Empressum will be racing for the third time in his now 7-year-old campaign. One of the most accomplished Quarter Horses of all-time, Empressum has won 25 of his 37 starts with 13 coming in stakes race. The gelding by Apollitical Jess has earned $2,475,748 in his career and a victory on Saturday night could make him only the third Quarter Horse to go over $2.5 million in career earnings joining KJ Desperado and Ochoa in that ultra exclusive club. Empressum will also look for the 12th Grade 1 stakes win of his career as well as his 10th stakes win at Los Alamitos. Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo will ride Empressum from post four.
Unrelentless and Stanley Cartel have both already earned presumptive berths to the Champion of Champions. The Albert Valles-trained Unrelentless won the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February to claim his spot. He then traveled to Remington Park where he ran in the Mr Jet Moore, Grade 1 Leo Stakes and Grade 1 Debbie Schauff Remington Park Championship. His best finish there was a third in the Leo. He returned to Los Alamitos in the Go Man Go and finished seventh after a slow start from the rail. He’ll start from seven on Saturday.
Stanley Cartel returns to action after winning the Vessels Maturity by a 1 ¼ lengths on July 6. Bred by Weetona Stanley, the son of PYC Paint Your Wagon has been a winner in eight of 10 career starts and his resume also includes 2024 victories in the Grade 2 Southern California Derby and a win in the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap. Armando Cervantes will ride Stanley Cartel from the outside post 10 for trainer Ramiro Castillo.
AQHA Champion trainer Marc Jungers will send out the remarkable Shakers No Secret, a son of Five Bar Cartel, who has raced in seven consecutive Grade 1 stakes races with top three placings in six of those starts. His purple patch of races includes wins in the AQHA Challenge Championship and The Championship at Sunland Park and second place finishes in the Leo, Debbie Schauff and Vessels Maturity. He was third to Empressum in last year’s Champion of Champions. He’s also looking for a return trip to the Champion of Champions. AQHA champion jockey Christian Ramos will pilot Shakers No Secret from post number three.
The field from the rail out is as follows: Edberg Verde, Vegas Trick, Shakers No Secret, Empressum, Jeriko, Kevins Wise Corona, Unrelentless, RS Shere Khan, Boardwalk and Stanley Cartel.
GRADE 1 WINNERS ROCKIN WITH ENERGY AND CURLS JOYFUL WAGON HEAD SOUND DASH
Five mares that raced in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on September 13 return to action for the $35,000 Sound Dash Stakes for top distaffers on Saturday night. P and J Racing’s AJ Born Runnin finished second to Hott Temptation in the Millie and will now headline the field for the Sound Dash. The daughter of Apollitical Jess is already a three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos.
The other returning starters are Rockin With Energy, winner of the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap earlier this year, Curls Joyful Wagon, winner of the Grade 1 Junos Request Stakes, Market Analyst, winner of the Rolling A Ranch Matron Stakes, and In The Mode, second in the Matron and second in the Grade 3 Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes.
Curls Joyful Wagon is a three-time stakes winner and nine-time winner in her 27 race career. John Stinebaugh trains the Martin Stacy-owned daughter of PYC Paint Your Wagon. Stinebaugh will also saddle Heritage Place Oaks winner Deep Blue in the Soun Dash.
The Paul Jones-trained Rockin With Energy ran lights out in the Charger Bar to win the 400-yard event by a nose over another Stinebaugh trainee, First Time For Wine. Rockin With Energy will look to regain her Charger Bar form after finishing out of the money in her last two contests.
The field for the Sound Dash from the rail out is as follows: Deep Blue, Market Analyst, AJ Born Runnin, Rockin With Energy, Silver Bac, Relentless Looker Z,I Am Candy, Curls Joyful Wagon, In The Mode and Beach Walk.
