Familiar rivals Wicked Affair, Jess Macho Corona meet in Golden State Million Futurity

Wicked Affair and Jess Macho Corona were second and third in the $1,020,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in June. More than four months later, they meet again in the track’s second major futurity of the year - Sunday’s $976,750 Golden State Million Futurity.

Jess Macho Corona and Wicked Affair had mixed results in the Golden State Million time trials on Oct. 21.

Jess Macho Corona won a division of the 400-yard trials in 19.72 seconds, and holds the second-fastest qualifying time among the 10 finalists. Wicked Affair, one of five fillies in the Golden State Million, was third in a division of the trials after a slow start. She was timed in 19.95 seconds, the slowest time of the 10 qualifiers.

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They fared better than Wave Her Down, the winner of the Ed Burke who broke through the starting gate before the Golden State Million trials and eventually finished a quiet third in a time too slow to qualify for the final.

Wicked Affair and Jess Macho Corona have a different set of rivals to contend with in Sunday’s race than they did in the Ed Burke Million, notably Favorite Motion, the lightly raced fastest qualifier, and Flash and Roll, a Ruidoso shipper who won a division of the time trials by two lengths.

Favorite Motion won his third start in the time trials in 19.70 seconds despite lugging to the inside from the outside post in a field of eight. Trained by Jose Flores, Favorite Motion will have his futurity debut on Sunday.

Flash and Roll was seventh in the Ruidoso Futurity in June and later won a division of the All American Futurity time trials in August, though not in a time fast enough to qualify for the final.

Trained by Justin Joiner, Flash and Roll was timed in 19.75 seconds in the Golden State Million time trials, her first start in California and first start under lights.

Powerful Favorite and You Caught My Eye, first and third in the Governor’s Cup Futurity for California-breds in July, have qualified. Powerful Favorite was second to Jess Macho Corona in the time trials, while You Caught My Eye won a division of the trials.