Call Me Candela hangs on for nose win in Kindergarten
The filly Call Me Candela was feisty in the gate, but faultless when it counted in Sunday’s $254,400 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos.
Call Me Candela ($10.60) finished a nose in front of a game Monday Dynasty, the 9-5 favorite, in the 300-yard race, the track’s first stakes of the year for 2-year-old Quarter Horses. Jaque was third, a neck behind Monday Dynasty.
Call Me Candela was ridden by jockey Jose Alcala, and gave the 20-year-old his first stakes win. Alcala began riding in 2023.
Despite being unsettled in the gate, Call Me Candela broke sharply and led by a neck midway through the race.
Call Me Candela is trained by Jose Flores, who had seven of the 10 qualifiers, all fillies, but started only four.
Contentious, the fastest qualifier from seven time trials on April 19, as well as Cyber Eyes and Bridgewater, all trained by Flores, were withdrawn on Sunday after they were found to have been given intra-articular injections in violation of track rules related to such veterinary work, according to an official.
Horses must undergo radiographs for diagnostic purposes before intra-articular injections are conducted. The Flores-trained trio were given the injections first, the official said.
In addition, Teller Looks Mrl, trained by Jaime Gomez, was withdrawn after failing a recent out-of-competition test, the official said.
Of the six runners, only five finished. My Favorite Paris, trained by Flores, broke with the field, but was quickly behind, appearing to lose her stride. She was walked to the stables.
Call Me Candela, a winner of 2 of 3 starts, was timed in 15.70 seconds and earned $107,455 for owner and breeder Miguel Osorio. Call Me Candela was second to the Flores-trained Jaque in a 220-yard maiden race on March 21 and won a division of the Kindergarten trials, setting the eighth-fastest qualifying time.
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