When Los Alamitos Race Course owner Ed Allred first became involved in the ownership of Quarter Horses some five decades ago, he did so as part of a group that included his best friend Tom Seibly. Allred and Seibly each paid $1,000 in order to purchase a share of a couple of horses to campaign at Los Alamitos Race Course, and at the time winning a Quarter Horse race worth $1 million was impossible to imagine.

"I had no business buying a horse, let alone two horses," Allred said. "I didn't make a lot of money going to medical school - and they didn't have million dollar races back then for Quarter Horses."

The Partys On Fire wins

They have million dollar races now - in fact Los Alamitos has four of them - and Allred and Seibly won one of them with ease thanks to the 32-1 longshot The Partys On Fire in the $1,272,250 Golden State Million Futurity Friday at the Cypress oval.

Shining First Dash vs. The Partys On Fire

Ridden by Alex Bautista and trained by Dan Francisco, The Partys On Fire scored big time in the 400-yard race in :19.57, while defeating Muller Racing LLC's Shining First Dash by a half-length. The Partys On Fire, who is a daughter of Walk Thru Fire, earned $515,445 for her quick work on the Los Alamitos strip, while improving her record to three wins from eight starts. She paid $66.40 for the win. Her victory also spoiled LD Fire's bid to win the Los Alamitos version of the Triple Crown. LD Fire, who was also sired by Walk Thru Fire, struggled right from the start and ended up finishing in last place in the field of 10. 

"I figured that a Walk Thru Fire filly was going to win this race," Allred said. "But I was pretty sure that it was going to be LD Fire. To be honest, if The Partys On Fire had finished fourth we would have been thrilled. This is the biggest surprise I've had in racing since I had a horse named Rich Gritch win at odds of 92-1 or 93-1."

The winning connections: Seibly, Allred, Francisco and Bautista

For Seibly, the win was equally thrilling. "I've been able to own a couple of horses the past few years thanks to (Doc) Allred," he said. "We had horses together when he first started, but The Partys On Fire is only the second horse I've owned in the past 40 years. You can't beat winning a million dollar race?"

Spencer Childers, a Hall of Fame breeder and owner who passed away earlier this year, bred The Partys On Fire. "This win is for Spencer," said Francisco, who also trained horses for Childers.     

"Both horses that I've owned with (Allred) were bred by Spencer, who was a great friend," Seibly said. "We had Ten Oclock Scholar (a winner of $412,527) and now The Partys On Fire. We always felt that The Partys On Fire would like 400 yards. She liked it tonight."

"What a perfect break she had," said Allred, whose only other Golden State victory with Way Maker in 1989. "Of course this win is for Spencer. It's also great to see Tom win this race. Tom and I would come to the track together when we were kids while going to law school at USC. He went on to become a judge and do quite well. I became a doctor. We've been great friends throughout all these years. I'm happy for him to get this victory."

The breeding of The Partys On Fire is a mixture of a rising superstar in Quarter Horse racing in the stallion Walk Thru Fire and the young broodmare with proven bloodlines in Bonos Party. For Walk Thru Fire this is his second Golden State Million victory having previously sired 2005 winner Higher Fire. Walk Thru Fire, who stands at Burns Ranch in Menifee, California, won the Ed Burke Million Futurity earlier this year with LD Fire.

"This is the first really strong crop of Walk Thru Fire since he exploded into the scene in 2005," Allred said. "What he is doing right now is fantastic and it shows his talent as a sire. Bonos Party is from one of Childers' great female families."

Bonos Party is a full sister of 2004 World Champion Be A Bono. Her mother is Be Peacefull, who traces back to the mares Serenidad, Keynesian, Oneforthemoney, and Bunnys Bar Maid. The latter, of course, is a daughter of Childers' great foundation mare, Black Easter Buny, who Spencer described as his very best. Childers bought the mare from trainer Walt Culbertson in 1957. The 1952 champion 3-year-old filly campaigned from age 2 to 7, winning $40,232. Remember, there were no million-dollar races back then. The blood of Black Easter Bunny continues, passed along through the daughters and sons of Bunnys Bar Maid, not only with young stars like The Partys On Fire, but also through champions like Uncas, 1996 Golden State Futurity winner Luva Secret, and Be A Bono's sire, Bono Jazz.

"Tom and I purchased another horse from Spencer's consignment at this year's Los Alamitos Equine Sale," added Allred, referring to the $31,000 purchase of a Bono Jazz colt.

Shining First Dash, sent off at odds of 10-1, earned $208,633 for running second for Muller Racing. Trained by Denny Ekins and ridden by Santiago Mendez, Shining First Dash was second in the Governor's Cup Futurity two outings ago, a race in which The Partys On Fire ran third.

Nighttime Lines, Cash For Cottontail, Divide The Cash, Dash Back Perry, Voulez Vous, Thinking Jazz, Whole Lot Of Karma and LD Fire completed the field.

"We did not have racing luck tonight," said Alfonzo Pasquel, co-owner of LD Fire. "She's a big filly, so I think when she left the gate her back legs slipped against the bar. We won't be able to party tonight. The party is with the connections of The Party Is On Fire. I'm glad for Dr. Allred and Mr. Seibly. Their filly ran a great race."

Racing continued at Los Alamitos on Saturday night with the running of the Bank of America Racing Championships. First post is 7 p.m.

***

It was a night of upsets, as Allred's stallion syndication manager, Fred Scane, saw his homebred Fighting City Hall win the $25,000 Golden State Juvenile. Racing for Scane's wife, Nancy, and trained by Pat Visscher, the Hawkinson gelding returned $53 for the win.

"We've always liked this horse," Scane said. "Pat made an equipment change - she used a certain type of tongue tie and that did it. He ran a great race. He will not race in the Los Alamitos Two Million trials. We'll probably look at the Winter Derby with this horse."

Fighting City Hall, ridden by Jay Conklin, earned $13,750 for the win. We Have A Secret, an even bigger longshot at 45-1 odds, ran second, while Don Bandido finished third. Catchmesmokin completed the Superfecta, which returned $71,692 based on a $2 payout. That Superfecta figure is one of the highest ever in Los Alamitos history.

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