Chayito Cartel, Chickititas Favorite meet again in Kindergarten Futurity

In these early days of the 2-year-old Quarter Horse season at Los Alamitos, the geldings Chayito Cartel and Chickititas Favorite are virtually equal.

Chayito Cartel won a 300-yard maiden race by a nose over Chickititas Favorite on April 19, the first start for both runners. In separate divisions of the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity trials on May 5, Chayito Cartel and Chickititas Favorite were winners, finishing 300 yards in 15.44 seconds.

Chayito Cartel had an exact time of 15.444 seconds, while Chickititas Favorite was clocked in 15.449. They hold the fastest times for Sunday evening’s futurity, the first major race of the division at Los Alamitos this year.

Chickititas Favorite drew the outside post and will be ridden by Cruz Mendez for trainer John Cooper. In the time trials, Chickititas Favorite won by three-quarters of a length over Leonel Bugatti, who qualified for the final.

The horses with the 10 fastest times in the trials, regardless of finishing positions, earned berths in the final.

Chayito Cartel won a division of the trials by 1 3/4 lengths over Coronas Required, who did not qualify for the final.

The winners of eight trial races earned spots in the final. Aside from Leonel Bugatti, Spectacular Corona, second to Dream Divine by a nose, was the only other runner-up to earn a berth.

Dream Divine, who will be a longshot, is the only two-time winner in the field other than Chayito Cartel. Dream Divine, who won a division of the trials in 15.60 seconds, won a maiden race April 12. In the Kindergarten trials, Dream Divine broke through the gate before the start. He regained composure to win the trial by a nose.

Mental Error is capable of a win. Trained by Paul Jones, Mental Error won a division of the trials in 15.58 seconds in his second start, preceded by a second in a maiden race April 19.