870-YARD RACES ARE BACK AT LOS ALAMITOS

       The 870-yard division returned to Los Alamitos with races on Saturday and Sunday night. The fifth race on Saturday night was the first 870 race at the Orange County oval since January 2021 making To Speight Her the first winner at this distance in over four years. With the 870-event marking a possible consistent return of these races, here’s a look at 10 AQHA distance champion who left their mark in major distance races at Los Alamitos.

1. Griswold – Perhaps the greatest 870 runners of all-time, the Legacy Ranch-owned runner is still the track record holder at this distance (:43.99) and his 14 stakes wins here are the fourth most ever at Los Alamitos. The winner of the Governor’s Cup Derby winner at 400 yards prior to starting his legendary career around the turn, Griswold is also the most famous distance race involving a Quarter Horse when he faced Valiant Pete in a match-race at Santa Anita nearly 35 years ago in April of 1991.  He won the AQHA title in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

    

2. Sign Of Lanty – The only other three-time AQHA distance champion (2000 to 2002), the  John Cooper-trainee has a distance record 16 stakes wins at Los Alamitos, the third most ever at the Southern California track. Sign Of Lanty won 25 races at this distance while earning over $500,000.

    

    

3. Snowbound Superstar – The AQHA distance champion in 2006 and 2007, the dashing gray superstar won a total of 15 races in a row, 11 of those at Los Alamitos, with 10 of those wins coming in stakes races. He finished his career 16 wins from 22 career starts.

    

4. Baychaino – One of the original distance stars at Los Alamitos, the Merridoc gelding was the 1990 champion and won seven of 14 starts during his title winning campaign. That included four stakes victories, including the Grade 1 Marathon, the Calyx and the Moonshiner.

    

5. Sign It Super – the 1996 champion was trained by Quarter Horse racing’s most famous trainer, the great Blane Schvaneveldt. Sign It Super’s championship season included wins in the Marathon, Griswold, and Bull Rastus handicaps.

    

6. Speedy Lunch – The 1995 champion started a total of 74 times in his career with 47 of them coming at Los Alamitos. Of his 24 career wins, 11 came at the Katella track. Of those 11, eight of them were stakes races.

    

7. Heros Call – Bred by D Wayne Lukas, Laura Lukas & T. Horton, the Grand Slam gelding shared the distance title in 2003 after winning the Grade 1 Marathon and the Grade 3 Golde Rush.

    

8. Sterling Sport – Shared the distance title with Heros Call in 2003 after winning the Grade 1 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos, but he also had excellent distance campaigns in 2001 and 2002. He won three stakes races in row in 2002 and was second in that year’s Marathon final.  

    

9.  Prankster CF – Owned and bred by Joan Dale Hubbard, the Favorite Trick gelding was as dominant during his title year in 2005. He won five of seven starts with every one of his wins being a stakes victory. That included the Grade 1 AQHA Distance Challenge Championship.

    

10. Hateful Hanna – The only distaffer on this list, the sizzling fast daughter of In Excess was named AQHA champion in 1999 thanks to a streak of four consecutive stakes races. The Vessels Stallion Farm owned mare won a total of six stakes races at Los Alamitos for trainer Danny Cardoza.

-30-