Gomez duo both capable

Trainer Jaime Gomez had the best possible result in the Governor's Cup Futurity at Los Alamitos in late July. Two of his starters - Checknbac and Tac It Like a Man - finished in a dead heat for first in the $418,000 race for 2-year-old Quarter Horses. Both were rested after that race and geared toward a fall campaign of three futurities. They are among the 10 qualifiers for the first of those races, Saturday's $450,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Futurity at Los Alamitos.

Tac It Like a Man and Checknbac each returned from a two-month layoff to win divisions of the 350-yard trials on Sept. 23, setting the two quickest times. Tac It Like a Man, who races for Double Bar S Ranch of Moreno Valley, Calif., won his division of the trials by a half-length over qualifier Choosy in 17.45 seconds.

Checknbac, a filly owned by the Dutch Masters III partnership, won her fourth consecutive race in the trials, finishing in 17.46 seconds. The second- through fourth-place finishers from the trial - Corona Deluxe, Sabrinas Eyes, and Corona Couture - also qualified for the final.

Gomez thinks Tac It Like a Man has a better chance in the 350-yard race from post 5 than Checknbac does from the outside.

"I never like the outside" with a 2-year-old, Gomez said. "You can lug out. But this filly doesn't make too many mistakes.

"Tac It Like a Man drew the 5-hole and that's perfect. That might help the horse a little more."

Tac It Like a Man, fourth in the $1.1 million Ed Burke Memorial Futurity on June 24, is likely to go favored. No Secrets Here, who finished third in the Burke, won the $2 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs on Labor Day.

Gomez and leading trainer Paul Jones have four qualifiers each in the PCQHRA Futurity. Gomez also starts Check This Runner, who won a division of the trials, and Corona Couture.

Jones starts Choosy, Corona Deluxe, Coronas Rouge, and Sabrina Eyes. Corona Deluxe was third in the Kindergarten Futurity in May, while Choosy was fifth in the Governor's Cup. Coronas Rouge and Sabrina Eyes are making their stakes debuts.