Bassett duo bred for greatness

Blues Girl Too is the career-defining horse for trainer Joe Bassett. This year, he has a pair of half-siblings to Blues Girl Too, and their promise has Bassett excited about the upcoming futurity season.

Blues Girl Too won the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in 2006 and the $1 million Champion of Champions in 2007 to become the all-time richest female in Quarter Horse racing. She retired in early 2008 with earnings of $2,032,328. Bassett, 25, trained Blues Girl Too with an assist from his father, John.

The colt Eyema Blues Man and the filly Eyesa Blues Girl, half-siblings to Blues Girl Too, are in Joe Bassett's Los Alamitos stable. Because Quarter Horse racing allows multiple embryo transfers, more than one 2-year-old of 2009 can be registered from the same dam, in this case, Run the Dash. Blues Girl Too is by Corona Cartel. Eyema Blues Man and Eyesa Blues Girl are by Mr Eye Opener and are owned by Lucky Seven Ranch.

Neither has started, but Bassett thinks they both have potential.

"I'm getting anxious, but I'm trying to be patient as possible," Bassett said. "It's a long year and there is a lot of money in the fall."

Of the pair, Eyesa Blues Girl will start first, in the time trials for the $400,000-estimated Kindergarten Futurity on May 2. The finals of the 300-yard race is May 16. Eyema Blues Man is a few weeks away from a compulsory qualifying workout from the gate. He could debut in the Ed Burke Million Futurity time trials on June 6. The finals for the 350-yard race is June 20.

"They are doing everything right," he said. "Everybody is right on schedule."

Bassett will have a preliminary assessment of the competition in coming weeks. The first 2-year-old maiden races of the year are scheduled for next weekend. Their presence will be a welcome sight at Los Alamitos, a track that has been plagued by short fields this year.

Joe Bassett has four 2-year-olds in his 12-horse stable right now, including the filly Cash for Cottontail, who has caught his attention. "She's got a great mind on her," he said. "I think she's got a lot of talent."

Later this spring, Bassett will expand his 2-year-old division. He said he has received commitments from Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred and prominent owner Enrique Gonzalez (EG High Desert Farm) for additional 2-year-olds.

"I've got four or five that are late getting in," Bassett said. "That's not a big deal to me. I'd rather be late than early."

Joe Bassett is the only Bassett training in California this spring. John Bassett is spending the spring and summer at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico and will ship to California in the fall with a small stable, Joe Bassett said.

Joe Bassett said he is committed to racing in California, because of his client base. "I would love to go back [to Ruidoso], but the deal is I'm established out here," he said. "I have to stay here. My clients are out here. If I went there, I'd be starting from scratch."