BOMB CYCLONE WITH ANOTHER GREAT WIN AT LOS ALAMITOS TOP THE SUPER DERBY TRIALS
What a night for the superstars. With a lineup filled with most of the top 3-year-olds in Quarter Horse racing, the trials to the Grade 1, $982,050 Los Alamitos Super Derby promised to be a night to remember.
The Super Derby trials did not disappoint at all, as the racing evening resulted in a series of thrilling series, complete with sensational efforts from megastars like Bomb Cyclone and Golden Boi; plus, a big comeback by winning machine Scoops Dynasty; and a winning California return for Jess Hez On Fire in addition to a huge upset victory by Corona Yo in in an outstanding evening of derby trials here on Sunday.
Others to also qualify to the November 6 Super Derby included All American Derby winner A Pollitical Candy V and PCQHRA Breeders Derby winner Sweet Dasha Fire. A total of 35 sophomores raced in the 400-yard trials with four Grade 1 winners headlining the field of qualifiers. Here are the 10 runners that advanced to the Super Derby final: Bomb Cyclone (:19.362), Golden Boi (:19.585), Corona Yo (:19.591), Jess Hez On Fire (:19.665), Jess Fire Me (:19.794), In Hott Pursuit (:19.796), Dasha Good Reason (:19.806), A Pollitical Candy V (:19.818), Scoops Dynasty (:19.839), and Inspyre (:19.840).
Without a doubt, the biggest performance of the night was delivered by Rosenthal Ranch’s Bomb Cyclone (photo), as the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity winner, posted the fastest qualifying time in :19.362, more than 1 ½ lengths faster that the second fastest qualifier, Golden Boi. Ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Chris O’Dell, Bomb Cyclone won the first of five trials on the night by three lengths to improve his record at Los Alamitos to a perfect three for three. All three of his wins at the Orange County track have been mind-blowing performances. Last year, Bomb Cyclone won his Two Million trial by four lengths before returning to post a two-length victory in the $2,037,000 final.
Bomb Cyclone, who entered this race after running fourth in the All American Derby final on September 4, led his Super Derby trials from the word go, taking off to a 1 ¼ length win and then cruising from there to his three length victory.
“I was watching live from the paddock and the closer he got to me, I was like ‘he’s just poetry in motion.’,” O’Dell said.
Sired by Favorite Cartel and out of Remember Me Rose, Bomb Cyclone is the older brother to Cyber Attack, who last weekend posted the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity. Rosenthal Ranch, O’Dell and Nicasio also make up the Cyber Attack team.
“I’m telling you, it’s really something,” O’Dell continued. “We are so blessed me and Connie (Rosenthal) and Nicasio. Sometimes we say these things and it’s kind of cliché, but these horses don’t come along very often. We’ve been lucky.”
Bomb Cyclone and Cyber Attack’s full sister is Temple Court, owned by Steve Burns and trained by Mike Casselman. She also qualified to the Golden State Million. With his awesome win in the Super Derby trials, Bomb Cyclone put behind that out of the money finish in the All American Derby.
“This horse has been troubled with some little things,” O’Dell continued. “We had some little issues. I’m not saying that we should have won the All American Derby but we probably should have ran second. I did the best I could to get him ready. He ran the best that he could at the time. We’re happy that he’s come back good and that he’s put a very good race tonight. We’re so tickled.”
Burns is the breeder of Bomb Cyclone, Cyber Attack and Temple Court.
M&G Farms’ Golden Boi (right), the AQHA champion colt last year, improved his 2022 record to four wins in as many starts after scoring a 1 ½ length win in trial number four. Ridden by Ruben Lozano for trainer Valentin Zamudio, Golden Boi won the Grade 2 El Primero Del Año Derby earlier this year and also the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap. He won the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million last year. The Favorite Cartel colt
“Like we know, he always gives you his best and responds when we send him to race,” Zamudio said of Golden Boi, “It looks like we are on a good path and the final will be the next challenge. With Ruben Lozano, we form a good team and we do well together.”
Zamudio and Lozano also visited the winner’s circle after the third trial with S&S Horses’ 17-1 longshot Corona Yo, the third-place finisher in this year’s Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby. Corona Yo finished ahead of A Pollitical Candy V.
“Corona Yo has always gotten along well with Lozano,” Zamudio added. “The horse has a ton of heart and he’s very fast. Tonight, he did it all and we got to the wire first. He always does his work nicely”
Connie Nutt and Turner Farms’ Jess Hez On Fire won for the fourth time in his career after taking the second trial by a ¾ lengths ahead of 2021 Ruidoso Futurity finalist Jess Fire Me. Sired by Walk Thru Fire and out of top mare Jess Send Me, Jess Hez on Fire was making his first start at Los Alamitos since running in the trials to the Winter Derby back in late January. Ridden by Henry Reynoso Lopez for trainer Paul Jones, Jess Hez On Fire won his Super Derby trial in the fourth fastest qualifying time of :19.665.
The final trial went to Ed and Von Zae McNelis’ Scoops Dynasty, already a three-time stakes winner this season. The son of FDD Dynasty bumped at the start, drifted in during the race to bump a foe before rushing in the second half of the race to win by a head. With Armando Cervantes up for trainer Monty Arrossa, Scoops Dynasty improved his record for the year to six wins in as many starts.
“He didn’t break as sharp and every time his post is towards the outside he always lugs in,” Cervantes said. “ I already kind of knew so I broke with my left and either way he just kept going and going (inside). Honestly, I was just trying to grab him, grab him and not hurt anybody. Towards the end when he let me move him a little bit, I pushed him the last yards and thankfully we got the win. That horse with more ground that’s when he starts kicking more gear. He’s always been a fast horse out of the gate but this time he was a little anxious. I think we’re set up good for the final.”
Valeriano Racing Stables’ A Pollitical Candy V raced very wide when finishing second to Corona Yo. He was fifth with 110 yards to go in his trial before unleashing a tremendous late run to cross the wire second while also qualifying with the eighth fastest time. He’ll now look to become only third Quarter Horse to win both the All American Derby and Los Alamitos Super Derby. Dashs Dream and Old Habits are the only two to have accomplished that feat.
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