Bh Lisas Boy eyes Vessels Maturity repeat

CYPRESS, Calif. – Bh Lisas Boy will be favored to win the $170,500 Vessels Maturity for the second consecutive year at Los Alamitos on Sunday evening. Owner and trainer Bill Hoburg is hoping for less drama in the aftermath.

Last year, Bh Lisas Boy, who was bred by Hoburg, was diagnosed with a knee injury in the days after the win in the Vessels Maturity. The injury required surgery and forced Bh Lisas Boy off the track until November.

Bh Lisas Boy was fifth in the Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos last December, the leading race for older Quarter Horses in the nation.

A 6-year-old gelding, Bh Lisas Boy has already earned a berth in the $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 15 for winning the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February. A win on Sunday in the 400-yard Vessels Maturity would solidify Bh Lisas Boy’s position among the top older horses in the nation.

Since the Winter Championship, Bh Lisas Boy has started twice, finishing second in the Moonist Handicap on March 25 and winning a division of the Vessels Maturity trials on June 17. Hoburg said the trial race win was a relief.

“I was concerned with the layoff that long,” he told Los Alamitos publicity on the night of the trials.

“He doesn’t have the best knees in the world. We had two light works under him and I was hoping that was enough. It was a little nerve-wracking, but it worked out all right.”

Cesar DeAlba will ride Bh Lisas Boy, who has won 18 of 31 starts and earned $529,831.

Bh Lisas Boy’s main rivals are fastest qualifier Tarzanito and Zoomin For Spuds, who won the 2016 Champion of Champions.

Tarzanito won a division of the time trials in 19.66 seconds compared to Bh Lisas Boy’s time of 19.73 seconds two races later. Trained by Yanet Rodriguez, Tarzanito has yet to win a major stakes, but was second in the Golden State Million in November 2016.

Zoomin For Spuds finished a troubled fourth behind Bh Lisas Boy in the time trials and was promoted to second after Jess Hawk and LD Is Back were disqualified from second and third for causing interference. Zoomin For Spuds was second in the Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February.