The awesome veteran BH Lisas Boy and the talented young rider Oscar Andrade Jr. will make for an exciting pairing when they join forces once again in the Grade 1, $155,100 Vessels Maturity final on Sunday at Los Alamitos.
The veteran sprinter and the 17-year-old jockey first teamed up in the 400-yard trials and the result was an exciting and very close second place finish behind fastest qualifier He Looks Hot in the third and final trial of the night. BH Lisas Boy finished with the second fastest qualifying time of :19.59 in a race that marked his return to action after taking some time off following his sixth place finish in a trial to the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship back on January 20. BH Lisas Boy worked sharply in preparation for the Vessels Maturity trials on June 16, first working 220 yards in :12.70 on May 3 before turning on the intensity with a :12.20 gate work on May 21. It was Andrade Jr., the son of former Los Alamitos top jockey Oscar Andrade, now in the irons.
BH Lisas Boy, who in the past had been piloted the stalwarts like Cesar De Alba, Jesus Rios Ayala, and Saul Ramirez, Jr. to just mention a few, looked great in first outing with the teenage wonder aboard in the trials. For Andrade Jr., riding BH Lisas Boy in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity has to be one of the highlights of his budding career.
“I’ve been watching this kid for a year,” said Bill Hoburg, the owner, trainer, and breeder of BH Lisas Boy. “His father one of best riders that ever jumped aboard a racehorse. This young man wanted to be a rider since he was four. He’s now 17, but you can tell that he’s very seasoned. His parents have schooled him right – of that you can easily tell. They’ve brought him along the right way. He’s been around horses his entire life and the pressure of the big moment doesn’t bother him. He knows what he’s doing and he’s confident, but he also listens to advice.”
It didn’t take long for Hoburg to feel confident about his decision to hand over the piloting duties of BH Lisas Boy to Andrade Jr.
“I talked to his mother (trainer Elena Andrade) to mention that I wanted him on my horse,” the owner added. “The first time he got on him I told him that I would pony right beside him since this was their first time together. Just a few moments later I thought to myself, ‘he fits him marvelously.’ Oscar has been galloping BH Lisas Boy since the layoff and they get together great.”
For Andrade Jr., he’ll be looking for his second career stakes win after taking the Miss Princess Handicap aboard La Rusa in late June. As for, BH Lisas Boy will start from the post number eight and is the 5-2 favorite in Ed Burgart’s morning line to the Vessels Maturity. The 7-year-old veteran will enter with 20 wins from 38 career starts and earnings of $759,462.
“He really needed the time off,” Hoburg added. “I turned him out for 90 days and he came back nicely. We trained on him pretty good right after the break. I wanted to get him fit right away. On the front end, you want to get as much fitness in as you can without stressing him out. At the start, he went five days a week to the track for the first 30 days. Now it’s been about twice a week. We were right on schedule. I’m happy.”
BH Lisas Boy will join fellow 7-year-old He Looks Hot and the 6-year-old Zoomin For Spuds as the veterans in this race. The field will feature one other 6-year-old in Katies Easy Moves plus the 5-year-old Tarzanito and the 4-year-olds Jesstacartel, Matilda Czech, CM Boom Shakalaka and Eyes The Favorite.
“In this sport, the younger horses are always coming up the ladder,” Hoburg added. “That’s just what happens in horse racing. I’ve been expecting younger horses to zip right past us, but it just looks like us old timers will hang in and be competitive for another year. I love the rivalry with Zoomin For Spuds. I think the two of us are about the best to come down from Idaho. Meanwhile, He Looks Hot is just a superstar. The obstacles that horse has overcome have been amazing. He continues to perform at a high level and you don’t make a million dollars by accident in this sport. He’s an amazing horse that has enjoyed great management.”
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