Apollitical Pence notches sixth consecutive victory

CYPRESS, Calif. - Apollitical Pence parlayed a brilliant start to a win in Saturday’s $125,000 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Championship for Quarter Horses, extending his winning streak to six races that include some of the nation’s most important stakes.

Ridden by Armando Cervantes, Apollitical Pence ($6.40) broke from the outside in a field of seven, and led by as much as 1 3/4 lengths midway through the 440-yard race. Apollitical Pence had enough of an advantage to hold off a late threat from 2-5 Empressum and win by three-quarters of a length, finishing in a rapid 21.22 seconds.

Owned by Matt and Bendi Dunn and trained by Monty Arrossa, Apollitical Pence’s winning streak includes the 2021 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos last December, and the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February. More recently, Apollitical Pence returned from a layoff of more than six months to win the $75,000 Labor Day Weekend Stakes at 250 yards at Ruidoso Downs on Sept. 3.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

Apolltical Pence, a 6-year-old gelding, has won 16 of 33 starts and earned $1,623,235. Apollitical Pence and the 4-year-old Empressum are scheduled to meet again in the $750,000 Champion of Champions at 440 yards at Los Alamitos on Dec. 10.

In the Los Alamitos Championship, Apollitical Pence and Empressum pulled clear of a talented field. Flash Bak, the winner of the Los Alamitos Super Derby last November, finished third by 3 1/2 lengths, a significant loss in a 440-yard race.

Powerful Favorite, who won the 2021 Los Alamitos Championship, finished fourth, followed by Other World, Circle City and Mister Tornado.

Apollitical Pence’s most recent loss was a third in the 2021 Los Alamitos Championship.

On Saturday, Empressum was beaten for the first time since a second in the Championship at Sunland Park in January. During the summer, Empressum was unbeaten in three starts at Los Alamitos, winning two of the track’s leading races for older horses – the Vessels Maturity in July and the Go Man Go Handicap in August.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.