First Place Queen reigns

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - First Place Queen, Whosleavingwho, and Sign of Lanty moved closer to year-end championships after winning major stakes for Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos over the weekend.

The 2-year-old filly First Place Queen won her second major stakes when she upset Meteoric in Friday's $1,313,700 Los Alamitos Million.

First Place Queen ($20.20) led throughout the 400 yards to win by a half-length over Meteoric, the 3-5 favorite, who finished a head in front of The Blues Man.

First Place Queen was timed in 19.73 seconds. Trained by John Bassett, she won the Golden State Futurity at Los Alamitos in early November.

On Saturday, Whosleavingwho beat a world-class field of older horses in the $500,000 Champion of Champions and may earn the Quarter Horse of the Year title for the victory.

Whosleavingwho ($11) ran 440 yards in 21.27 seconds, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Runahalf. Beccas Bunny, 61-1, finished third.

The 4-year-old Whosleavingwho gave jockey Joe Badilla, trainer Paul Jones, and owners Kim Kessinger and Jim Geiler their first wins in Quarter Horse racing's top event for older horses.

The disappointments were the major stakes winners Streakin Sin Tacha, who finished sixth, and Corona Kool and A Ransom, who were ninth and 10th.

On Sunday, Sign of Lanty won the $200,000 Marathon National over 870 yards for the fourth consecutive year.

Sign of Lanty is expected to be named Distance Champion for the third straight year. In the Marathon National, the richest 870-yard race in history, Sign of Lanty ($7.20) was timed in 44.778 seconds.

Sign of Lanty has won 28 of 65 starts and $545,542.