Apollitical Pence notches second consecutive Champion of Champions win
CYPRESS, Calif. - Apollitical Pence was a cool-minded gelding before and during Saturday’s $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos.
The Champion of Champions, the nation’s richest race for older Quarter Horses, was delayed approximately eight minutes when Nomadic threw a fit in the gate and was scratched. Apollitical Pence was in the adjacent stall and was not affected by the incident.
When the 440-yard race began, Apollitical Pence bumped with Powerful Favorite, but quickly recovered to take the lead. Ridden by Armando Cervantes, Apollitical Pence led by a half-length midway through the race and won by three-quarters of a length over 3-2 favorite Flash Bak.
Apollitical Pence ($11.40) was timed in 21.35 seconds.
The win gave Apollitical Pence consecutive wins in the Champion of Champions, the first horse to do so since SLM Big Daddy in 1997-1998.
Apollitical Pence, a 5-year-old gelding, races for Dunn Ranch and trainer Monty Arrossa. The Champion of Champions was Apollitical Pence’s first major win of 2021. Earlier this fall, Apollitical Pence was third in the Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Championship in October before winning a division of the Champion of Champions trials in November.
Arrossa, who won the 2016 Champion of Champions, had three of the first four finishers in Saturday’s race. Flash Bak finished a head in front of 15-1 Really First Down, trained by Arrossa. Candy Blood, also trained by Arrossa, finished fourth after a poor start.
Powerful Favorite, winner of the Los Alamitos Championship, could manage only fifth, beaten slightly less than two lengths.
Apollitical Pence has won 12 of 29 starts and has earned $1,448,451.