'Chicks' seeks rebound

California-bred Quarter Horses with credentials that would be competitive in open Grade 1 Quarter Horse company highlight the weekend racing at Los Alamitos, in the trials to the Governor's Cup Futurity and the Governor's Cup Derby.

Five futurity trials will be held on Friday night and two derby trials on Saturday night. The finals for each race will be run as part of the nine stakes on the June 19 California Champions Night.

In the futurity trials, Looking for Chicks will be trying to make amends for a disappointing performance in the Grade 1, $350,000 Kindergarten on May 15.

Looking for Chicks was the Kindergarten favorite after setting the fastest qualifying time of 15.350 seconds for 300 yards in the trials. In the finals, however, he behaved more like what he was - a 2-year-old making his third career start - than the favorite in a major Grade 1 race. Breaking from the inside post position, he bore out for much of the 300-yard stakes before crossing the finish line in fifth place. He was disqualified and placed ninth for his erratic trip.

Looking for Chicks starts Friday in the fifth trial, with Cody Jenson, who was aboard in the Kindergarten, again in the saddle.

Also in the trial is Sebtembrist, who ran second to Looking for Chicks in their Kindergarten trial.

Meanwhile, the 2003 Governor's Cup Futurity winner, Metallic Lion, looks for his first 2004 win in the Governor's Cup Derby trials after a third-place finish in an allowance race on May 9, his season debut.

Metallic Lion comes off a Grade 1-level juvenile campaign, in which he earned $240,791 with five wins, two seconds, and a third from 10 starts. His best race was the Governor's Cup Futurity, when he beat Dividends Declared by a nose and won $141,750. He also ran second to champion Hawkish in the Kindergarten and second to Grade 1 winner Willie Works in the California Juvenile Challenge.