FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 CONTACT LOS ALAMITOS PUBLICITY 714-820-2690 THOROUGHBRED PURSES RAISED AGAIN AT LOS ALAMITOS LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA… Los Alamitos Race Course has announced its fourth purse increase for Thoroughbreds this season effective with the Friday, September 3rd racing program. Purses for all Thoroughbred levels - Los Alamitos Race Course hosts races for $2,000 to $5,000 claimers at 4 ½ furlongs - have been raised with some receiving increases as high as 15.4%. Races for open $5,000 claimers will now offer an $18,000 purse, an increase of $2,000 or 12.5% from the previous $16,000 purse which had just been increased two weeks ago on August 13. Thoroughbreds in conditioned $5,000 claiming races will now race for $15,000 - also up $2,000 from the previous purse of $13,000 for an increase of 15.4%. Claimers in the $4,000 ranks will race for $12,000 or $1,000 more than previously. Claimers in the $3,200 and $2,500 have each received an increase of $900. Claimers in the $3,200 ranks will now race for $10,500, while $2,500 claimers will race for $9,500. Purses for maidens are at $11,000 for $5,000 claimers and $8,000 for $2,500 claimers. “We will also write races for 2-year-olds at 4 1/2 furlongs and 4 furlongs," said Ron Church, the racing secretary at Los Alamitos. “Purses for 2-year-olds will be the same as for older horses. We are excited to offer these higher purses and we look forward to welcoming Thoroughbred horsemen with open arms." NEW THOROUGHBRED PURSES Racing Level Purse $2,500 Maiden $8,000 $5,000 Maiden $11,000 $2,000 Claiming $8,000 $2,500 Claiming $9,500 $3,200 Claiming $10,500 $4,000 Claiming $12,000 Cond. $5,000 Claiming $15,000 Open $5,000 Claiming $18,000 Los Alamitos Race Course is currently racing on a Friday through Sunday night basis. For more info, please contact 714-820-2690. SOLID FIELD SET FOR CHICKASIS HANDICAP Ed Allred’s Chickasis has developed into one of the premier mares in Quarter Horse racing. Named the Pacific Coat Quarter Horse Racing Association broodmare of the year in 2008, Chickasis’ progeny includes stakes winners Hard Hitting, Hot Hitter and Lassen County, plus derby finalist Chickafire and Chickasecret, who is the mother of World Champion Freaky. The outstanding Chickasis will be honored with the running of Friday’s 350-yard feature for 3-year-old fillies. Seven will run in the Chickasis and top contenders figure to include Brian Hyde’s Fall For It, who nearly upset Ed Burke Million Futurity winner First Down Illusion in a division of the California Breeders Freshman Stakes on July 31. Fall For It made up about 1/2 lengths on First Down Illusion and based on that race she figures to be heavily backed in her return outing. Abigail Kawananakoa’s This Royal Perks is another talented filly ready for action. The Washington-bred daughter of Royal Miracle Dip is undefeated in two career starts including a 3/4 length conditioned allowance test on May 30. Lady Mimosa, who won a trial to the Ed Burke Million Futurity, and Playful Choices, who finished third in the Intermountain region’s Schvaneveldt Futurity, will be making her California debut in this race for trainer Rafael Orozco. Miss Chivatos Pie, Falre Checking and GC Blondie will also race. CHARM ME HEADS $18,000 THOROUGHBRED RACE ON FRIDAY The latest huge increase in Thoroughbred purses at Los Alamitos has sparked great interest on the local racing action from horsemen statewide. With $5,000 claimers now running for an outstanding $18,000 purse, several new arrivals have landed at the Orange County track. On Friday night, there are eight horses competing in the third race at 4 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares. Of the eight runners, four made their last start at a track other than Los Alamitos. Silverio Martinez’s Hostile Reaction is among the notable invaders now gunning for this $18,000 purse. The daughter of Devil His Due won at Hollywood Park on June 19 and then showed good early quickness before weakening to finish seventh at Del Mar. Both of those races were at 6 1/2 furlongs and she will now try her luck at the shorter distance being offered in this race. Gorgeous Gibson is another new face. Based in Northern California, Gorgeous Gibson won three races ago and in his last start he was claimed for $2,500 after finishing second in a 5 1/2 furlong race at Santa Rosa. Then there is Warren’s Whisper for trainer Jack Van Berg. The Bartok mare has struggled in 2010 but she could be competitive running at Los Alamitos if she is able to stay close to the early leaders. The likely pacesetters figure to include Bombing Two for trainer Angelo Tekos Jr. The Golden Gear filly has finished in the money in seven of 11 starts this year and she won at Santa Anita twice earlier this year. Trained by Jim Hanson, Charm Me is the local horse that the invaders will have to deal with on Friday. The Silver Charm mare has won three races this season and in her most recent start she posted a dominant 2 1/4 length win. FIVE THOROUGHBRED RACES TO HEADLINE SATURDAY’S ACTION AT LOS ALAMITOS Primary Notice’s motto should be “Have race, will travel!” The son of Point Given will highlight Saturday’s $18,000 Thoroughbred feature at Los Alamitos, while making his sixth straight start at a different racetrack in the 4 1/2 furlong event. Owned by Nungaray Thoroughbreds and Carina Jauregui, Primary Notice is one of several new races that will be racing on Saturday night. Trained by D.J. Jauregui, he’ll be going after his fourth straight victory after lighting Northern California on fire at Pleasanton, Santa Rosa and Ferndale. Prior to that, Primary Notice ran at Golden Gate and Portland Meadows. Now with this start at Los Alamitos, Primary Notice has put another stamp on his Golden State passport. One of the returning faces is the New York-bred Chief’s Lake, a runner with past class to the tune of $337,358 in career earnings, who is back at Los Alamitos after making his last three starts in the Northern California fair circuit. Santiago Rodriguez will saddle him in the $18,000 fifth race, which will also features the local debut of the Kenneth Nettles-trained Preach The Gospel. In addition to Primary Notice, Chief’s Lake and Preach The Gospel, the big Thoroughbred purses at Los Alamitos have lured several 10 other new faces to the Orange County oval - horses that will run on Saturday after running somewhere else in their previous start. There are a total of five Thoroughbred races on the Saturday card. GOOD REASON SA ENTERS TOP 10 POLL When Good Reason SA won last fall's Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity (G1), the 23-1 upset reasonably left observers wondering just how good he might be. But after Saturday night's Grade 1 Golden State Derby victory improved his lifetime record to five-for-six, fans are taking notice. The Paul Jones-trainee was rewarded with a No. 6 ranking in this week's AQHA Racing-Horseplayernow.com national poll for 3-year-olds and older. While Good Reason SA shook things up in the rankings for older horses, the top 5 remained unchanged, led by unanimous No. 1 Freaky. The 3-year-olds competing in Sunday's All American Derby (G1) final could have a say in the immediate look for the poll. Qualifiers include No. 3-ranked Double Down Special and No. 8-ranked Apollitical Jess. 2-YEAR-OLDS - LOS ALAMITOS BASED HORSES IN BOLD 1. AMERICAN RUNAWAY (87) Winner of Ruidoso Futurity 2. HES TOO ICY FOR ME (74) Winner of Rainbow Futurity 3. FIRST DOWN ILLUSION (61) Winner of Ed Burke Million Futurity 4. JLS MR BIGTIME (54) Fastest qualifier to All American Futurity 5. LLANO TELLER (46) Winner of Remington Park Futurity 6. GIVINITAROYALEFFORT (44) Winner of Heritage Place Futurity 6. WEST COAST HAWK (43) Winner of Kindergarten Futurity 8. SIXES LIAISON (21) 9. HOT HITTER (16) Winner of Governor’s Cup Futurity 10. DOMINYUN (15) Other 2-year-olds receiving consideration: Cuz Iba Okey (10), No Dice Special (6), Streak Of Sixes (3), Miss Racy Jess (2), First Painted Sign (17), All N The Jeans (1) 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP - LOS ALAMITOS BASED HORSES IN BOLD 1 FREAKY (90) World Champion winner of the Los Alamitos Winter Championship 2. JESS YOU AND I (78) Winner of Remington Park Championship 3. DOUBLE DOWN SPECIAL (73) Finalist to the All American Derby 4. SWINGIN DADDYO (56) Winner of Rainbow Derby 5. STOLIS WINNER (43) 6. GOOD REASON SA (30) Winner of the Golden State Derby 7. EASY DASHIN SIXES (36) 8. APOLLITICAL JESS (23) Fastest qualifier to the All American Derby 9. HEADTURNER (17) Winner of Los Alamitos Winter & El Primero Del Ano Derbies 10. SPIT CURL DIVA (9) Other 3-year-olds & up receiving consideration: Stylish Jess BR (8), Chivalry SR (7), One Diamond Kitty (6), Streakin Down (6), A Tempting Dash (6), Blues Man Too (6), Pink Boots RM (4), Rylees Boy (4), A Streakin Son (2), Snitcher (1) The nine voters are: Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper), Martha Claussen (writer/handicapper), Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper), Tom Dawson (network television producer), Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper), Mike Joyce (TVG analyst), Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor), Terry Turrell (HorseplayerPRO.com handicapper), Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA). Poll results are also available at aqharacing.com and HorseplayerPRO.com. WHAT PAYOUTS Superfectas, Superfectas, Superfectas. The Superfectas at Los Alamitos continue to rack nice payouts week after week. Of the 17 wagers that resulted in payouts of more than $1,000, 11 occurred in Superfectas. Interestingly, the highest payouts of the week came in the Pick 6 wagers when over $11,000 came back on Friday night. The big payout was aided by a nice $10,000 Carryover going into the night’s action. In addition, the popular early Pick 4 on Friday night resulted in $8,405 and another Pick 4 - the late one on Saturday night - also resulted in a payout of nearly $4,000. Here are the other highlights. The Pick 6 in the 10th race on August 27 paid $11,027! The Pick 4 in the 4th race on August 27 paid $8,405! The Superfecta in the 2nd race on August 28 paid $7,165! The Superfecta in the 1st race on August 29 paid $5,382! 11 Superfectas paid more than $1,000 17 payouts returned over $1,000 It simply pays to play the Los Alamitos races! THE PICK 4 NUMBERS Great Numbers continue in popular bet! Over $544,000 bet into the Pick 4s last week at Los Alamitos Here are the early Pick 4 pools from last weekend: * Friday, August 27 $108,986 * *Saturday, August 28 $111,453 * * Sunday, August 29 $118,702 * Early Pick Four Average for Last Week: $113,047! The late Pick 4 averaged $68,519! Recent BIG Pools Sunday, Aug. 29 $118,702 Saturday, August 28 $111,453 Friday, August 27 $108,986 Sunday, August 22 $105,738 Saturday, Aug. 21 $110,811 Friday, August 20 $103,706 Sunday, August 15 $112,780 NEW RECORD FOR GUCE Ramon Guce is now the all-time  leading jockey on Thoroughbreds at Los Alamitos after picking up his 509th career victory on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.  Guce had previously been tied with Alex Bautista for the leadership. Bautista could come back tie for the record again and maybe even sail past Guce, however, for now “The Goose” is number one in the standings.  Guce, the leading Thoroughbred rider during the past several years at Los Alamitos, is also the only jockey to win 100 races in a single season aboard the breed. On Sunday night, Guce was accompanied in the winner’s circle by his wife and children to celebrate his milestone win. SNITCHER REVEALS HIMSELF IN SGT PEPPER FEATURE HANDICAP Snitcher’s talents are no longer a secret - not after his performance in the $25,000 Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap for 3-year-olds on Sunday at Los Alamitos. Racing from post five and ridden by Francisco Rubio, Snitcher posted his second stakes win in a row while covering the 350-yards in the Sgt Pepper Feature in near track record time. The son of TR Dasher stopped the clock in :17.081, only 2/100ths of a second from the current mark held by Abigail Kawananakoa’s Divide The Cash of :17.061 set earlier this year.   “The fast time gives you hope and makes you dream of bigger races,” said owner Armando Leon, who has raced Quarter Horse at Los Alamitos for more than a decade now. “He could have had the track record tonight, but I’m fine with him not breaking it. What I want is for him to make money. Our goal with him is the Grade 1 Southern California Derby. I wish he was in the Los Alamitos Super Derby, but we missed the chance to supplement him into that race.”   “I stopped (Armando) from paying the penalty to get him in the Super Derby,” said trainer Adan Farias while shaking his head. “At the time he was coming off a couple of loses and I wanted him to show us more. He has been solid in his last two races. He was great tonight.”   Bred by Ed Allred, Snitcher was purchased privately from Allred in the spring of 2010. In his first start for Farias, Snitcher ran second to Regal Tol in an allowance race and then finished fourth to Golden State Derby fastest qualifier Chivalry Sr. Snitcher found his winning stride for Leon and Farias on California Breeders Champions Night as he posted a ¾ length victory over the aforementioned Regal Tol. That win combined with this effort has elevated Snitcher’s star potential to new heights. Will the connections stick with their Southern California Derby plan or will they consider running him in the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials for a chance to go in the Champion of Champions?   “There’s Freaky in the Champion of Champions,” Leon said. “If you have a horse that running well at this level, why push him to run against horses at the next level. Freaky is a great horse right now, I think our horse has the potential to do some nice things next year when he turns four. He’s a young horse right now.”   “I’m trying to keep them from running against each other,” Farias said. “We are going to point Chivalry Sr to the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials after missing out in the Golden State Derby. He got on the vet’s list after the Golden State trials so we have to take care of that first. I’ll be working him pretty soon. He is doing fine and looking good right now.” Snitcher won the Sgt Pepper Feature by 1 ¼ lengths over multiple stakes winner Sparky E Boy, who is now also under the care of Farias. Snitcher earned $13,750 and has now made over $47,000 in his career.   “This is only my first year with Adan,” said Leon. “I used to live in the San Fernando Valley, but I recently moved to about five minutes from Los Alamitos. I wanted to be near the track so that I could be closer to my horse business. I’m a horse breeder. That’s my profession. I have a few horses here in the United States, but in Mexico I have about 60 broodmares in a ranch in the state of Sinaloa. My place is where a lot f the big Mexican breeders have their ranches and people like the Vegas of Rancho El Alacran have their ranches in that same area. The soil is very rich in that part of the country. It’s a great place to grow alfalfa.”   Reed Pierson’s Sparky E Boy earned $5,625 for running second. Forrest Fire, Corona Street, Clark N Eye and Kr Dragonfly completed the field.   GOOD REASON SA IS TOO STRONG IN GOLDEN STATE DERBY The last five racing nights have been good for Brazilian Quarter Horse owners at Los Alamitos Race Course. On Friday, August 20, Benny Rosset’s champion aged mare Stylish Jess Br won the Merial California Distaff Challenge only to be followed by Marcelo Jorge’s The Goodbye Kisser’s victory in the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge this Friday night. Gianni Samaja’s Good Reason SA completed the Brazilian stakes trifecta by winning the $262,500 Golden State Derby on Saturday, giving the winner of last year’s Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity the second Grade 1 victory of his already outstanding career.   “It’s been a good time for Brazil,” said agent Vince Genco, who handles a lot of the Brazilians’ equine business in the United States. “Benny won the Charger Bar Handicap in January with Stylish Jess Br, but after that it had been slow going for those guys. Their 2-year-old crop has not done too well – other than The Goodbye Kisser – so it was a slow spring. Now things are picking up. Their horses are starting to do well and this is the time of the year when you want them to do well. Gianni will be tickled to death with this victory and I can’t wait to talk to him about it tomorrow morning.”   Good Reason SA, who was making only his second start of the year in his Golden State win, earned in this race $112,500 for his neck victory over Los Alamitos Winter Derby runner-up Princelike. The son of Favorite Trick was third during the early part of the 400-yard race and for the first half of the race it looked like that was going to be as good as he was going to do in this race.   “It seemed like he was doing well at the start but he wasn’t going anywhere,” said Cody Jensen, who piloted Good Reason SA for trainer Paul Jones. “He was struggling a little bit but then he started overpowering the horses late in the race. He proved to be a little too big and a little too strong for the field. He was so much better and so much more impressive tonight, because of the way he finished so strongly.”   Good Reason SA covered the distance in a fast time of :19.380, helped in part by his powerful final 220-yard time of :09.32. He came into this race having qualified with a time of :19.32 in his 2010 debut and in his final start of 2009 in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity he won the race in :19.36. Those times indicate that consistency has become a trademark of Good Reason SA, who has now earned $926,515 from five wins in six career starts.   “He had a little surgery in his ankle and knee after the Two Million but his issues were not big stuff to worry about,” Genco said. “We wanted to clean it up in order to avoid any possible big problems later in his career. The key was that we gave him plenty of time to recover from the surgery. This horse has been sound and Paul is the master when it comes to handling horses. The Los Alamitos Super Derby trials (in mid-October) is probably what’s next for him. I would think he’s one of the top contenders.”   Good Reason SA’s is a colt out of Samaja’s prized mare Queen of Appeals. In addition to the winner of this race, Queen of Appeals is also the mother of Get Him Out SA, who also finished seventh in this running of the Golden State Derby. Her son Gemini Special SA ran second in Friday’s Pfizer California Starter Allowance and in past years she has produced multiple Grade 1 finalist Special Queen SA and also a full brother to Special Queen SA that currently stands as stallion for Samaja in Brazil.   “She has done well for Gianni,” Genco said. “Gianni has a good sized ranch in Brotas in the state of Sao Paulo in Brazil. The ranch has citrus, beef ankle and horses. In the past few years Gianni has cut back the cattle and cut back on his Thoroughbred horses. He is concentrating on his Quarter Horses and he keeps a lot of his babies there. He has about 150 horses and that includes Corona For Me (runner-up to A Regal Choice in the Los Alamitos Million Futurity in 2003) and (2006 Los Alamitos Winter Championship winner) Gold Medal Jess. ”   Jones, the perennial AQHA champion trainer and the sport’s all-time leading trainer in earnings, was pleased to do well for his Brazilian friends.   “The Brazilian owners have been very important to my barn over the year,” he said. “These owners and Vince Genco - that team - has been a great attribute to my stable, and they are all great guys. They have all been a pleasure to train for over the years. My wife Marin and I went to Brazil this year for the first time. We enjoyed it so much that we might go back again. We had a chance to go to the Quarter Horse races and we had a lot of fun.”   “The owners in Brazil have such a passion for the Quarter Horses that it’s like pure joy,” said Paul’s wife, Marin. “They enjoy everything that they do with their horses so much.”   Ed Allred’s Princelike posted another solid result and earned $45,535 for his runner-up efforts. The TR Dasher gelding has never finished out of the money in his eight career starts and has only been lower than second once when he was third in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity last year. Juan Andrade rode Princelike for trainer Jose Flores. Armando Leon’s Danny Cartel earned $32,143 for running third. Divide The Cash, the 350-yard track record holder at Los Alamitos, broke poorly after being fractious in the gate before recovering to finish in fourth place. First Down King, Runaway Tyme, Get Him Out SA, Catchmesmokin and Effectiveimmediately completed the field. OWNER LOVES GOODBYE KISS   Marcelo Jorge has racked up the frequent flyer miles watching his prized filly The Goodbye Kisser run at Los Alamitos Race Course in the past few weeks.   Jorge, a native of Brazil, was on hand to watch the daughter of First Down Dash post the fastest qualifying time to the John Deere California Juvenile Challenge on August 13. A few days later he returned back home to Brazil only to come back to California to watch the Juvenile final on Friday at Los Alamitos. The trip was worth every mile, minute and dollar that Jorge invested, as the Bob Moore Farms-bred filly outdueled longshots Gossipaboutthis and Corazon Valiente to win the $40,410 final at 350 yards.   “When I saw the start of the race I thought that she was never going to make it, never,” said an elated Jorge, while clutching on to the beautiful Challenge regional trophy. “Then I saw that she was coming on strong and she kept on getting closer and closer. When she won the race I was speechless. This win is the completion of a 20-year-old dream. The dream of being here at Los Alamitos and winning a stakes race and an important race like the Challenge with a good young filly, it’s unbelievable.”   Jorge was on hand at Los Alamitos following a 12-hour non-stop flight from his home in Brazil.   “After the trials I went back to Brazil and then I came back yesterday,” he added. “The cost of the trip is not that expensive because I was traveling economy. Each round trip was a little over a $1,000. It’s now going to be such a happy flight back. It’s going to be a 12-hour trip of happiness. You can’t imagine how much this victory means to me. For us in Brazil, Los Alamitos Race Course is like a temple. It’s one of those things that it’s impossible to describe.”   Jorge was wearing his lucky coat, one that he borrowed from the Vessels Club coat rack.   “I wore this same coat when she won her trial,” Jorge said. “This is my lucky coat and I’ll have to buy it. This trophy, I’ll sleep with it tonight, and the trophy blanket, that’s another great prize too.”   All that’s left for Jorge to do is start planning his next trip to Los Alamitos and possible a journey to the Fair Grounds in Louisiana for the Grade 2 John Deere Juvenile Challenge final.   “She’s in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity in September and the Challenge races in November,” he added. “I’ll let (trainer) Paul Jones decide what we are going to do next with this filly, but maybe the next time I’ll fly first class.”   Ridden by Carlos Huerta, The Goodbye Kisser paid $5.60 for the win. She earned $18,588 for crossing the wire first, her third victory in four career starts. She also covered the distance in :17.517.   Gossipaboutthis and Corazon Valiente were both dismissed at odds of 22-1 before posting their solid second and third place finishes, respectively. Like A Zephyr, Exotic Camila, Current Sea, MB One Day Conanas, First To Divulge and Carburator completed the field. -30-