Carters Cartel hunts bonus

One of the year's most important weekends in Quarter Horse racing begins on Friday night at Los Alamitos, when Carters Cartel will attempt to take another step toward the $1 million Los Alamitos Cash Bonanza when he starts in the Grade 1, $1,207,200 Golden State Million.

Carters Carter won the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million in Los Alamitos track-record time and will become the first horse to earn the bonus if he wins the Golden State Million and the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million. He raced the 350 yards of the Ed Burke Million in 17.17 seconds.

Trainer Jaime Gomez raised some controversy when he started Carters Cartel in the trials to the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity on Sept. 22. He raced to the fastest qualifying time, and then Gomez scratched him from the $474,000 Breeders Futurity to point him at the Golden State trials.

Carters Cartel won his Golden State Million trial for his sixth win from seven starts and his time of 19.670 seconds for 400 yards was the sixth-fastest qualifying time.

"I didn't work him at all after the PCQHRA trials, and we're going easy on him up to the Golden State," Gomez said.

The top two Golden State Million qualifiers are the Adan Farias-trained pair of My First Lady and Fighter on Fire. My First Lady won her trial by 2 1/4 lengths in the fastest time of 19.505 seconds for 400 yards. Fighter on Fire won the California Breeders Freshman Stakes and was a close second in the Ford California Juvenile Challenge.