Far Niente favored in Christmas Invitational

CYPRESS, Calif. – Far Niente, the winner of the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity in July, will be favored to win his third stakes in Saturday’s $60,000 Christmas Invitational Handicap for Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.

The Christmas Handicap is a replacement race for the $600,000 Champion of Champions, which was canceled by track officials last month because of concern over abuse of the breathing medication clenbuterol. At the time, track owner Ed Allred cited a nationwide need to “standardize and enforce regulation prohibiting clenbuterol.”

In the past, the Champion of Champions has played an important role in year-end awards voting. The Christmas Invitational will not have a significant influence on balloting.

Far Niente was fourth in the Go Man Go Handicap at Los Alamitos in July, his most recent start. He had an automatic berth for the Champion of Champions for his win in the Vessels Maturity.

The Christmas Handicap is run over 400 yards and has drawn a field of seven, including Once Over, who won the Spencer Childers Handicap for California-breds in July and was fourth in the Los Alamitos Championship in October. Once Over was second in the Z. Wayne Griffin Director’s Trial to Seperate Interest, another starter in the Christmas Handicap.

Seperate Interest, trained by Mike Casselman, has won 6 of 19 starts. The 4-year-old has earnings of $406,870, the highest in the Christmas Handicap field.

Check N Fetch, a 6-year-old mare, is the only female in the field. She was second in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Handicap in September and a troubled seventh in the Las Damas Handicap on Nov. 21. Both of those races were for fillies and mares.