Apollitical Patty retired after Los Alamitos Super Derby
Apollitical Patty, who won two of the leading stakes at Los Alamitos in the last year, has been retired after being pulled up because of apparent exhaustion after Sunday’s $925,650 Los Alamitos Super Derby.
Trainer Monty Arrossa said Monday that Apollitical Patty did not sustain an injury when second to Flash Bak in the Super Derby.
“She tied up a little bit,” he said. “She looked great when we got her back to the barn.”
Apollitical Patty won 8 of 14 starts and earned $1,243,263. She won the $1.9 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last December and the $427,500 Los Alamitos Oaks in March, her final win.
In recent months, Apollitical Patty had an erratic campaign. She unseated jockey Jesus Ayala at the start of a time trial for the Golden State Derby in July as the 1-20 favorite.
Apollitical Patty was third as the 3-5 favorite in the Mildred Vessels Handicap for fillies and mares in September, and second in a division of the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials in October.
Apollitical Patty was upset in the gate before the Super Derby. She led the field toward the end of the 400-yard race, but was caught late by Flash Bak.
By Apollitical Blood, Apollitical Patty was bred by Jim Walker, who died in early 2020 at the age of 87. Apollitical Patty raced for Walker’s family through her 2-year-old season, then was sold privately last winter to prominent Texas-based owner Julianna Hawn Holt.
Champion of Champions nears
Flash Bak earned a berth to the $600,000 Champion of Champions at 440 yards on Dec. 11 with his win in the Super Derby.
The field for the Champion of Champions, which plays a pivotal role in year-end voting, will be known after time trials this Sunday.
Track officials announced over the weekend that invitations have been extended to four other local stakes winners this year in Powerful Favorite, winner of two top stakes for older horses in February and October; Circle City, who won the Vessels Maturity in July; Reason to Fly Mv, winner of the Mildred Vessels Handicap in September; and You Can Run, who won the Go Man Go Handicap in August.
Instygator, winner of the All American Derby on Sept. 5 at Ruidoso Downs, and Cat Daddys Lil Girl, winner of the Junos Request Stakes for fillies and mares at Remington Park in May, have received berths.
Earlier this year, Los Alamitos altered the format for the 10-runner Champion of Champions, offering provisional berths to as many as five horses who win leading stakes at the track, three berths to horses who win major stakes outside of California, and at least two berths from time trials.
Sunday’s trials are expected to include Apollitical Pence, the upset winner of the 2020 Champion of Champions who was third to Powerful Favorite in the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Championship on Oct. 9, and 2016 Champion of Champions winner Zoomin for Spuds, a half-brother to Apollitical Patty.
Apollitical Pence and Zoomin for Spuds are trained by Arrossa, who said he may have as many as five horses in Sunday’s trials.