Apollitical Patty makes stakes debut in California Juvenile Challenge

She is supposed to be this good. Apollitical Patty, unbeaten in three starts, will have her stakes debut in Saturday’s $50,000 California Juvenile Challenge at Los Alamitos.

Apollitical Patty, a half-sister to 2016 Champion of Champions winner Zoomin For Spuds, is expected to be an odds-on favorite in the 350-yard race, having set the fastest qualifying time from two trials on Aug. 1.

Apollitical Patty was timed in 17.66 seconds. KR Frosty won the other trial in 17.81.

Trained by Monty Arrossa for the family of the late Jim Walker, Apollitical Patty has yet to be tested. She won a maiden special weight at 300 yards by 1 3/4 lengths on May 22 and an allowance race at the same distance by 1 1/2 lengths on June 26.

In the trial for Saturday’s race, Apollitical Patty bumped with a rival at the start but recovered to win by three-quarters of a length over Just a Dasha Hero, who was timed in 17.79.

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“She made a little mistake leaving the gate, but she’s been awesome in all three of her starts,” Arrossa told Los Alamitos publicity. “It was her first time running 350, and it looked like she handled the distance well.”

Jockey Armando Cervantes, who exercises Apollitical Patty in the mornings on a regular basis, has the mount. Cervantes has been aboard for Apollitical Patty’s three starts.

Just a Dasha Hero is a half-brother to 2015 World Champion Heza Dasha Fire. Jose Flores trained Heza Dasha Fire and trains Just a Dasha Hero, a maiden race winner on July 5 in advance of the California Juvenile Challenge trials.

Heza Dasha Fire was further along in his career at this stage of his 2-year-old season in 2014, having won the Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in June of that year.

The winner of Saturday’s race receives a berth in the AQHA Juvenile Championship at The Downs at Albuquerque on Oct. 24, although the presence of two seven-figure futurities at Los Alamitos in the fall – the Golden State Million in November and the Los Alamitos Two Million in December – may have greater appeal.

The California Juvenile Challenge drew a field of nine, all making their first appearances in stakes. One Famous Miss was the 10th qualifier, but was not entered in the final.

Arrossa also runs Transcendeur, who was second to KR Frosty in the trials.