Flokie heads PCQHRA Breeders' Futurity

Flokie, the winner of the $1.07 million Ed Burke Million Futurity in June, is expected to start favored in Saturday’s $355,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity, the first of three lucrative futurities at Los Alamitos this fall.

The Golden State Million Futurity will be run on Nov. 3, while the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity will be held on Dec. 15.

Flokie won a division of the 350-yard Breeders’ Futurity trials on Sept. 15 in 17.65 seconds to set the second-fastest qualifying time. Mental Error, fifth in the Ed Burke Futurity, set the fastest qualifying time of 17.43 seconds with a two-length win in the trials.

Mental Error beat Up For Speed, who qualified for the final along with Pitbull, who was third in that trial as the 2-5 favorite. Pitbull had a troubled start and was second midway through the race before being caught by Up For Speed.

Pitbull won the $365,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at 350 yards in July. He was beaten for the first time in his fourth career start in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity trials.

Friday’s leading race at Los Alamitos is the $150,000 PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby at 400 yards.

Chocolatito, a troubled fifth in the Golden State Derby in August, will be favored on the strength of a win in the time trials on Sept. 14. Chocolatito was timed in 19.76 seconds, setting the second-fastest qualifying time behind Mister Apollitical, who was fourth in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February.

Mister Apollitical won a time trial in 19.68 seconds.

In the trials, Chocolatito finished three-quarters of a length in front of Conquering Marie, the 38-1 upset winner of the Golden State Derby.

The PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby field includes Cole Man 47, who won the 2018 PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity. Cole Man 47 won a division of the trials on Sept. 14.