Gomez loaded for Kindergarten trials

In recent years, Quarter Horse trainer Jaime Gomez has treated the Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos each May as an ATM.

Gomez has won the Kindergarten four times since 2005 and is poised again this year for a major assault on the 300-yard race, the season's first test for 2-year-olds. Gomez said Tuesday that he will have eight runners in Saturday's Kindergarten time trials, including the recent maiden race winners All N The Jeans and Rough N Fit.

The 10 fastest runners in the trials, regardless of finishing positions, will qualify for the final on May 13.

Owned by Bobby Cox, All N The Jeans won a 300-yard maiden race by 1 3/4 lengths in a quick 15.34 seconds on April 9. She is a filly that Gomez ranks among his best chances.

"She's ready," he said. "She's really good. I expect a really good race out of her."

To keep the filly sharp, but not too sharp, All N The Jeans was schooled in the starting gate Tuesday. She stood in the gate but did not break out of the gate at speed, Gomez said.

"She was perfect," he said.

One drawback to All N The Jeans's debut was the way she lugged to the inside through the short race, but Gomez downplayed that incident. "Sometimes they feel they need company and kind of lug in," he said.

The Kindergarten trials will include unraced 2-year-olds and some that have run in maiden races, which began at Los Alamitos on April 2.

Gomez's Rough N Fit won a 300-yard maiden race on April 11 in 15.66 seconds.

Other candidates for the trials include Half Pipe, who topped the 2009 Heritage Place Quarter Horse yearling sale for $325,000. Half Pipe is trained by former champion jockey Jose Badilla.

Legendary trainer Blane Schvaneveldt will start Leave the Scene, who won the first 2-year-old race of the meeting on April 2. The following evening, West Coast Hawk won a maiden race in 15.72 seconds. On Saturday, West Coast Hawk will be among trainer Jose Antonio Flores's starters.

Adan Farias, who trained 2009 Quarter Horse World Champion Freaky, expects to have 10 runners on Saturday night. He nominated Vivid Lady and Jose Pablo as leading contenders.

"We might have a shot with one of those," he said.

Farias said he will not start First to Divulge, a maiden race winner on April 9 who is being held out of the Kindergarten in favor of the Ed Burke Futurity trials later this spring.