Budj qualifies for Champions

Budj ended a five-race losing streak in a division of the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors trials on Saturday at Los Alamitos, earning the last available berth to the $1 million Champion of Champions on Dec. 15.

Budj ran 400 yards in 19.45 seconds, the fastest winning time from Saturdays three trials. Only the winner of the fastest trial earned a berth to the 440-yard Champion of Champions, joining the winners of nine major stakes earlier this year that had already qualified.

Budj will face a formidable field in the Champion of Champions. The other qualifiers are Blues Girl Too, Country Chicks Man, Dont Let Down, FDD Dynasty, Five Bar Molly, Little Bit of Baja, Mr Chivato to You, Strawkins, and Volcom.

Budjs winning time was .01 of a second faster than the winning time recorded by 2006 All American Futurity winner No Secrets Here in the second division of the trials. No Secrets Here is the first alternate to the Champion of Champions should a defection occur.

Be a Bono, second in the 2006 Champion of Champions, finished last of seven behind Budj.

On Friday, One Famous Eagle won the first race of his career at an ideal time, setting the fastest qualifying time for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity for Quarter Horses on Dec. 14.

One Famous Eagle ran 400 yards in 19.44 seconds, the quickest time from nine trials. He could give trainer John Bassett a record fourth win in the Los Alamitos Two Million, the richest futurity at Los Alamitos. One Famous Eagle has one win in four starts for owners Burnett Ranches and Johnny Trotter.

In Fridays trials, One Famous Eagle won his division by 1 1/2 lengths. He was one of seven trial winners to qualify for the Futurity. In addition, two second-place finishers and one third-place finisher qualified.

The other qualifiers are Fighter on Fire, Magic Show Czech, My Lady First, Eye for Corona, Ever Fire Burns SA, Tsunami Splash, Ancient Ruler, JRS Big N Rich, and Miss Kittys Bar Bet.

Eye for Corona and Fighter on Fire were the first two finishers of the $1.2 million Golden State Futurity on Nov. 2.