CIR LADY MOON REIGNS IN MISS PRINCESS HANDICAP ON SUNDAY
Dan and Carol Lee’s Cir Lady Moon, a 5-year-old mare they claimed for $8,000 back in September 2021, continued her rise to the top echelon of the mare division at Los Alamitos following a solid ½ length victory in the Grade 3, $50,000 Miss Princess Handicap here on Sunday night.
Ridden by Armando Cervantes for trainer Monty Arrossa, Cir Lady Moon has been terrific in her stakes events at the Orange County track. Since arriving from the Intermountain region for the start of the 2023 racing season, Cir Lady Moon has won the Miss Princess, the Denim N Diamonds Handicap on March 4, and finished second in the Dashingly Handicap on January 1. Bred in Utah by the Gary Robinson Estate, the daughter of Moonin The Eagle has won seven of 15 career starts and her earnings of $27,500 for winning the Miss Princess took her lifetime account to $79,500.
Dan and Carol Lee were not in attendance at Los Alamitos for the Miss Princess because their breeding operation in Wyoming is keeping them plenty busy.
“They’re probably foaling a horse right now,” Arrossa said. “Dan and Carol have quite a breeding operation in Wyoming. I’m very happy for Dan and Carol. They work hard. I’m excited to have them down here at Los Alamitos.
“They claimed this filly and then ran her in Wyoming,” the trainer added. “She won some stakes races up there for them and ran well. I’ve known (Dan and Carol) for some time. They called me year and said, ‘we’d like you to try this filly.’ A good friend of mine called me and said that this was a really nice (mare). We’ve had some good luck with horses that have run strong in the Northwest that have come down here. She’s been just a pleasure. She’s a good minded filly. She’s settled in nicely and really likes Los Alamitos. Armando has done a great job with her, and her groom has done a great job with her. She’s just getting a little better each time. It was a tough field tonight and I’m proud of her.”
Facing a field of five other stakes winners, Cir Lady Moon was fourth at the start after breaking in, but she picked up speed shortly after the start and had a ¾ length lead by the midway point of the 350-yard race. Edward and Theresa DeNike’s Sweet Tess, the winner of the 2022 Los Alamitos Oaks, made a strong, late challenge, but it was not enough to catch the winner.
“When you look at her money earned back home, they don’t have these lucrative purses to run for,” Arrossa added. “But she showed she had a lot of speed and talent. She’s been very competitive up there and was one of the better stakes horses up there.”
Cir Lady Moon covered the distance in :17.492. Sweet Tess, who was ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Patricia Visscher, earned $11,250 for her second place finish, while EG High Desert Farms’ Letty Cartel finished third on the way to earning $6,250. Koalition, She Goes Up, and Gotta Corona Jess completed the field. In the months to come, Cir Lady Moon will look to strengthen her resume in the distaff division at Los Alamitos.
“The mare program here is second to none,” Arrossa said. “There is no better mare program in the country than here at Los Alamitos. We’ll keep her here and point to the ($100,000) Abigail Kawananakoa next (on June 11). We’ll just follow the rest of the mare races and as long as she keeps coming back good and running up to this level, we’ll just keep chipping away.”
ALEGRIA ENJOYS FIRST EVER RIDING VICTORY
Jockey Panfilo Alegria, whose last name is also the word for happiness in Spanish, had to be smiling from ear to ear after picking up his first ever riding victory on Sunday at Los Alamitos. Alegria’s memorable win came aboard Julia Reyes’ Zackery Bono in the program’s eight race, a 300-yard event for maidens. With Alegria in the saddle, Zackery Bono covered the distance in :15.582 for trainer Jesus Mendoza.
Alegria began riding last year and has since piloted both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at the Cypress oval. His first victory came in his 10th Quarter Horse mount and so far, his record with the breed has been solid. He’s finished in the money with six of those mounts. He’s also ridden nine Thoroughbreds in his young career.
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