Bob Hope winner Red Flag to be supplemented to Los Alamitos Futurity

Red Flag, the easy winner of the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar in his stakes debut on Nov. 15, is likely to be supplemented to the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, to be run on Dec. 19.

Trainer John Shirreffs said on Friday that the timing of the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity at 1 1/16 miles and the need to separate a few of his 3-year-old prospects for 2021 are the leading reasons for the decision. Red Flag has won 2 of 3 starts and is owned by Jerry and Tina Moss.

“I have a couple of horses that could end up in the same race,” Shirreffs said. “He seems like he’s the one that is ready at Los Alamitos.”

Red Flag, by Tamarkuz, was fifth in his debut in a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Sept. 6, and won a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 10 despite a slow start. In the Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs, Red Flag was always near the front and pulled clear in the stretch to win by 7 1/4 lengths at 10-1.

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Red Flag must be supplemented to the Los Alamitos Futurity for $7,500.

Aside from Red Flag, the Shirreffs stable of promising 3-year-olds for 2021 includes Parnelli, who won a maiden special weight race at a mile at Del Mar by 5 3/4 lengths on Nov. 28, and Waspirant, who was a well-beaten fourth in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 26.

Parnelli and Waspirant are being considered for the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 2. Waspirant had worked steadily in the last several weeks when the stable was based at Del Mar. Shirreffs has since relocated to Santa Anita.

“We were hoping to run him at the end of Del Mar,” Shirreffs said of Waspirant. “We couldn’t get a race to go down there.”