GOLDEN STATE DERBY QUALIFIERS

COURTESY OF STALLIONESEARCH.COM


Sir Runaway Dash (#7) catches Blues Girl Too at the wire to post the fastest time.
Photo by Scott Martinez

A Surprising Runaway is Top Golden State Derby Qualifier



LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA—AUGUST 19, 2007—Runaway Ranch's Sir Runaway Dash scored the biggest win of his career after defeating a field that included last year's champion 2-year-old Blues Girl Too and Grade 1 derby winner Not A Full Moon in the second of three trials to the richest running of the Golden State Derby since 1989.

Ridden by Cesar De Alba for trainer Paul Jones, Sir Runaway Dash upset Blues Girl Too by a nose on the way to the fastest qualifying time to the $320,150 Golden State final of :19.51. Blues Girl Too had the second fastest qualifying time in what was her first outing since winning the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity on December 9. Not A Full Moon finished with the third fastest qualifying time.

Sir Runaway Dash will be joined by nine other sophomore standouts in the Golden State final to be held on September 1 at Los Alamitos. The purse for the Golden State is 40 percent higher than it was last year. A Mere Splash, who has won four of five starts this season, and Sir Runaway Dash's full brother, Trisk, also made the final field.

The exploits of the fastest qualifier helped complete a dominant weekend for Jones. The champion trainer saddled Rainbow Derby winner Separate Bet to the fastest qualifying time to the September 2 All American Derby. He also had two of his trainees finish among the 10 fastest qualifiers to the All American Futurity on September 3. A full brother to World Champion Wave Carver and multiple AQHA champion Ocean Runaway, Sir Runaway Dash was picking up his third win in nine career starts. Bred by Lucas Racing Inc., the Maryland-bred First Down Dash colt ran only three times as a 2-year-old last year, one of those being an eighth place finish in the Governor's Cup Futurity.

"We've always had high hopes for him," said Bruce Dickamore of Runaway Ranch. "He showed that he was a nice horse early on but we could see that he was running on his toes. We found that he needed surgery in his stifles. His surgery went great. He's running great and he's exercising great. He's strong and healthy. There were a lot of talented horses in this race. We were lucky to beat them."

Runaway Ranch consists of Bruce and Anette Dickamore and John and Donna Kirkham. The actual Runaway Ranch is now nearing its final phases of construction in Francis, Utah. "We have our fence posts up and we're ready to start building a 38-stall barn with a full riding and training area inside," Dickamore said. "We'll have about 16 babies coming in next year. We're very excited and also very appreciative to have the opportunity to run our horses at Los Alamitos."

Blues Girl Too earned $1,214,666 racing exclusively at Los Alamitos in 2006. In addition to her victory in the $2 million "Deuce", Blues Girl Too also ran second in both the Golden State Million and Ed Burke Million futurities. This was her first start in over eight months. Trained by Joe Bassett and ridden by Saul Ramirez, the Corona Cartel filly covered the distance in :19.52.

"She ran a good race and posted a strong time," Bassett said. "I can't ask her for more because this was her first race back and it was 400 yards. I'm happy with her outing."

Russell and Lisa Stooks, the owners of Blues Girl Too, were on hand to watch their prized filly make her anticipated return. "It was great to see her run again," said Russell Stooks. "She needed the out. We just wanted to qualify."

Blues Girl Too had six small chips removed from her knees and ankle after the Los Alamitos Two Million. "It was nothing major," Stooks explained. "They're not an excuse for losing tonight. She didn't break out of the gate like usual. We were nervous watching her run. When you raise a horse and watch them grow, they become like your kid. It's totally different than when you buy a horse."

"She's gotten bigger but she's still a little filly," Lisa Stooks added. "The boys are still bigger than her."

They might be bigger, but rarely are they faster than Blues Girl Too.

Trained by Jaime Gomez for Ron and Denise Van Amburgh, Not A Full Moon posted the third fastest time of :19.58.

Felix Gonzalez's A Mere Splash, winner of the Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes and Grade 3 Vandy's Flash Handicap, was supplemented to these trials for $9,700. He made that look like a great investment after defeating Corona Deluxe by a length in the third derby trial. A Mere Splash was also supplemented for $25,000 to the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials to be held in October.

"We paid a lot of money to get him in these two races, so I was really nervous tonight," said Felix's son, Jose Luis Gonzalez. "I'm a little more relaxed now that he won his trial. I'm sure I'll be twice as nervous on the night of the final. What's important right now is that we are in the final. Blues Girl Too will be super tough two weeks from right now. She'll be a lot sharper in her second start after her layoff." Few sophomore sprinters have been tougher than A Mere Splash this season. After running third against allowance foes on December 29, the Splash Bac gelding has won four straight starts. His richest win came in the Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes, but his most impressive victory came against Jess You And I in the Grade 3 Vandy's Flash Handicap. "Jess You And I is one of the best horses in the nation," Gonzalez said. "After we beat him, that's when I first felt like we had made a good decision to pay him late to the two derbies."

A Mere Splash needed just a few taps from jockey Rodrigo Aceves to get the job done in this race - if only it was that easy to deal with him on a day-to-day basis.

"(A Mere Splash) can be a handful," Gonzalez said. "He'll bite you and throw his head around with a lot of power. He's not being mean, he just wants to play rough. He doesn't realize his own strength.

"No one can gallop him, not even Rodrigo," Gonzalez added. "We've had good jockeys come out to the barn to try to take him out in the mornings. After struggling with him for a little while, they turn around and come back to the barn. This horse is tough to handle. There's only one guy that can gallop him, and that's exercise rider Pepe Benavides."

But not even Pepe could gallop A Mere Splash on Wednesday morning.

"He tossed me right off of him," Benavides said. "I've never been thrown like that off a horse. I went right over his neck and all I could do was grab on to the reins."

"When 'Splash tossed Pepe like that, I said to myself, 'Ok, this horse is ready to run.'

Ed Allred and Tom Seibly's Ten Oclock Scholar snapped a four-race losing streak with a solid half-length victory over Xtreme Game in the opening trial of the night. Ten Oclock Scholar has hit the board in all four of his starts since going to the barn of Dan Francisco. The trainer knows Ten Oclock Scholar's family well, as he also conditions his full brother and multiples stakes winner Diller A Dollar.

"I was tickled to death to get Ten Oclock Scholar in my barn," said Francisco. "(Jockey) Raul Ramirez, Jr. said that once the horse took the lead he started to play around. Raul got after him because trials are not a good time to be playing."

Ten Oclock Scholar has now won five of 11 career starts. He previously ran third in the Vandy's Flash Handicap and was fourth to Skynlajolla in the Town Policy Handicap. The complete list of qualifiers is as follows:


Race: GOLDEN STATE DERBY-G1

Track: LOS ALAMITOS RACE TRACK
Trials: AUGUST 18, 2007
Final: SEPTEMBER 2, 2007
Purse: $150,000-G
Age: 3-YEAR-OLDS
Distance: 400 YARDS

Horse Sex Sire-Dam, Dam Sire Time Owner Breeder Trainer Jockey

Sir Runaway Dash c. First Down Dash--Runaway Wave, by Runaway Winner :19.510 Runaway Ranch Lucas Racing, Inc. (MD) Paul C. Jones Cesar DeAlba

Blues Girl Too f. Corona Cartel--Run The Dash, by Sixarun :19.520 Lucky Seven Ranch Lucky Seven Ranch (TX) Joe Bassett Saul Ramirez, Jr.

Not A Full Moon g. First Down Dash--Moon Arisen, by *Beduino (TB) :19.580 Ron & Denisse Van Amburgh Vessels Stallion Farm, LLC Jaime H. Gomez Alejandro Luna

A Mere Splash g. Splash Bac--A Mere Classic, by A Classic Dash :19.590 Felix A. Gonzalez Jose Luis Gonzalez (CA) Adan Farias Rodrigo Aceves

Trisk c. First Down Dash--Runaway Wave, by Runaway Winner :19.600 Lucas Racing, Inc. Lucas Racing, Inc. (MD) Paul C. Jones Ramon Sanchez

Ten Oclock Scholar g. Bono Jazz--Dollars Chick, by Chicks Beduino :19.680 Edward C. Allred & Tom Seibly Spencer L. Childers (CA) Dan C. Francisco Raul Ramirez, Jr.

Corona Couture f. Corona Cartel--A Tiny Bit More, by Strawfly Special :19.695 Double Bar S Ranch LLC Double Bar S Ranch LLC (CA) Jaime H. Gomez Joel Cruz

Corona Deluxe f. Corona Cartel--First Down N Surfin, by First Down Dash :19.715 Lucas Racing, Inc. Lucas Racing, Inc. (MD) Paul C. Jones Ramon Sanchez

Holland Opener g. Mr Eye Opener--Holland Time, by Holland Ease :19.720 Dutch Masters III Dutch Masters III (CA) Jaime H. Gomez Alejandro Luna

Xtreme Game g. Corona Czech--Tac Star, by Tolltac :19.740 Sergio Morfin Tony MacKenzie/Suzanne Batton (CA) Charles S. Treece Joel Valadez

Trial Notes: Sir Runaway Dash won the second of three trials by a nose over Champion Blues Girls Too to post the fastest qualifying time.