American Dreamin stays at favorite track in Golden State Million Futurity

A move to Los Alamitos has changed the season for American Dreamin, the fastest qualifier for Sunday’s $1,073,800 Golden State Million Futurity at 400 yards.

After losses in time trials for the Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in June and the All American Futurity at the Downs at Albuquerque in August, American Dreamin is unbeaten in two starts at Los Alamitos.

Owned and bred by Matt and Bendi Dunn, American Dreamin won a maiden race at 300 yards on Sept. 14, in her first start at Los Alamitos, and won a division of the Golden State Million Futurity trials by an electrifying 2 1/2 lengths on Oct. 5.

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American Dreamin, trained by Monty Arrossa, was timed in 19.66 seconds. Lethal Cowboy 123, another New Mexico shipper, had the second-fastest qualifying time of 19.88 seconds. Lethal Cowboy 123 is trained by Marc Jungers.

American Dreamin will be favored in a field of 10 in the Golden State Million Futurity.

“When they win that decisive, you’re surprised,” Arrossa said on the trial win. “She ran a good maiden race and she didn’t break very sharp. She really accelerated and beat a decent field of maidens.

“I felt pretty good” about her in the trials.

Arrossa has two other finalists in Ultimate Battle, who was second to stablemate Up to Party in the Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in June and the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity on Sept. 15, and Blood Viper.

Up to Party was not entered in the Golden State Million Futurity trials, and will be pointed for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, which has time trials on Nov. 24 and a final on Dec. 15.

American Dreamin, a filly by Apollitical Jess, will start from post 9 on Sunday, one position to the inside of Ultimate Battle, a trial race winner in 20.13 seconds.

Ultimate Battle will have his seventh start in the Golden State Million Futurity, and emerged from his recent trial race win in good condition.

“We’ve run him pretty hard,” Arrossa said. “You always worry about the number of races. He came out of his last race really good.

“I like the outside post. He seems to get into trouble. In the trial, he got clobbered around and really came on. He ran huge at the end.”

Blood Viper, owned by the Dunns, was second to Big Bang Rocket in the trials.

Big Bang Rocket was timed in 19.96 seconds in the trials. Trained by Eddie Willis, Big Bang Rocket has had a similar career path as American Dreamin, going winless in three starts in New Mexico in the spring and summer before a successful move to Los Alamitos.

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