Deep field to line up for Charger Bar Handicap

A filly on a two-race winning streak in stakes, and one narrowly beaten in two major stakes at Ruidoso Downs in 2023, meet for the first time as part of a strong field of 10 fillies and mares in Sunday’s $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap at Los Alamitos.

Cir Lady Moon, a four-time stakes winner in 2023, is one of several contenders on the strength of a sharp win against three of her Charger Bar rivals in the Las Damas Handicap at 400 yards on Nov. 18.

In the Charger Bar, Cir Lady Moon will race against Famous Shining Star, who won the 2023 Charger Bar Handicap, and Fearless Moon, who was third in the Rainbow Oaks and second in the All American Oaks at Ruidoso Downs last summer.

The Charger Bar Handicap, the nation’s leading wintertime race for older Quarter Horse fillies and mares, is run at 400 yards.

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Cir Lady Moon, trained by Monty Arrossa for Dan and Carol Lee, was a stakes winner in Wyoming in 2022 before making the successful transition to racing in tougher events at Los Alamitos last year. Her current winning streak began with a victory in the Sound Dash Handicap at 350 yards in October.

Famous Shining Star, trained by Jose Flores for Ruidoso Downs track owner Johnny Trotter, will start from the inside post in a field of 10 in the Charger Bar. After the Charger Bar last January, Famous Shining Star won her next three starts through August before she finished third in the Mildred Vessels Handicap in September and in the Las Damas. Famous Shining Star was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Cir Lady Moon in the Las Damas.

The Charger Bar will be the first start outside of age-restricted races for Fearless Moon, who has won 3 of 12 starts for Gentry Farms. She was beaten a head by Ezee Monee in the All American Oaks. Ezee Monee was the leading 3-year-old Quarter Horse filly of 2023.

Fearless Moon followed that loss with a fourth-place finish by three-quarters of a length in the $903,650 Los Alamitos Super Derby in November, finishing behind three of the top 3-year-old males of 2023 – Jeriko, Sicario V, and Party Politics.

Trained by Juan Aleman, Fearless Moon will have her first start since the Super Derby in the Charger Bar.

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