Gathering Of Champions In BOA California Challenge

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Leading Spirit winning the grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity as a two-year-old.
Photo by Robert Edwards/Southwest Racing News

Gathering Of Champions In Bank Of America California Challenge



LOS ALAMITOS RACE COURSE, CYPRESS, CA—AUGUST 22, 2007—The $75,150 Bank of America California Region Challenge looks like a gathering of champions on Saturday at Los Alamitos, as the 11-horse field will feature four-time champion Catchmeinyourdreams, three-time champion Apollitical Time, and champions Leading Spirit and Strawkins.
The Bank of America California final has also lured 2005 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Million Futurity winner Value The Man, 2006 Grade 1 Southern California Derby winner Spike It And Fly, plus stakes winners Modem, Furyofthewind, and Budj plus experienced stakes runners Rey Moro and Cut The Snow.

Apollitical Time and Catchmeinyourdreams are the last two winners of this race. Juan Alberto Tirado Lizarraga's Apollitical Time, the winner of this race last year, is the only mare among the 11 contenders in this field. The Apollo mare will start from post two in the 440-yard race for jockey Ramon Sanchez and trainer Juan Aleman. She enters this race after finishing third in the Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap on July 28. That effort was her first race in nearly six months.

"She's been doing well," Aleman said about last year's champion aged horse. "She drew a tough field but I'm looking for her to run an improved effort on Saturday. She should run better than last time."

Aleman expects horses like Leading Spirit and Catchmeinyourdreams to give his mare a big-time challenge.

"Leading Spirit is a great horse. He's a champion. He's coming off a long layoff but I think he'll be right there. I think Catchmeinyourdreams drew a great post-position. He drew the outside and he loves it out there. I know that he'll be fighting at the end. I'm looking forward to an exciting race."

Owned by Kirk Goodfellow and trained by Chris O'Dell, Catchmeinyourdreams won the California regional in 2005 but he did one better, as he went on to win the $300,000 Challenge Championship a couple of months later. As it has always been the case, the winner of this regional event earns a starting berth and an opportunity to face other regional winners in the Grade1 Bank Of America Challenge Championship. This year's Bank of America final will be held at Los Alamitos on November 3.

Catchmeinyoudreams, an 8-year-old gelding by Pritzi Dash, went over the $1 million mark in earnings after winning an allowance race in his first start of the year. The Ed Allred-bred gray gelding then outfinished Apollitical Time to finish second in the Spencer Childers. Jeff Williams, who is one of the outstanding veterans of the Los Alamitos jockey's room, will join forces with the ageless wonder that is Catchmeinyourdreams.

Furyofthewind, a half-brother to All American Futurity fastest qualifier Heartswideopen, will also represent Goodfellow and O'Dell in this race. Furyofthewind, who like Heartswideopen was bred by Goodfellow, is making his first start of the year after standing at stud at MJ Farms earlier this year.

Leading Spirit, winner of three Grade 1 futurities in 2005, is also making his return to the track since June 11, 2006. Owned by Dan and Jolene Urschel and Dr. Barry Thompson, Leading Spirit underwent a similar stem-cell surgery last year as 2004 World Champion Be A Bono. He returned this year with a blinding 350-yard gate drill of :17.50 on June 30. Bred by Dr. Thompson, the Special Leader gelding has won seven of 10 career starts for earnings of $698,754. Leading Spirit, the 2-year-old champion gelding in 2005, will be making his first start ever at Los Alamitos.

Strawkins, winner of the Rainbow Derby and a top-three finisher in both the All American Derby and Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, is also making his first start of the year. Owned by Don or Peggy Boyle, the son of Hawkinson was the champion 3-year-old gelding last year. His last race was a fifth place finish in the Champion of Champions.