Half-siblings start side by side in Governor's Cup Futurity
The Quarter Horse mare Coronas Fast Honey had quite a crop of 2019 foals.
Thanks to breeding via embryo transfer, there are five 2-year-olds out of Coronas Fast Honey, all on the track.
Two of them – the filly Fire Fast Honey and gelding Favorite Honey start in adjacent stalls in Saturday’s $310,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at Los Alamitos.
Fire Fast Honey, by Walk Thru Fire, will be favored in the 350-yard race on the basis of a win in the $297,700 Kindergarten Futurity on May 16 at Los Alamitos. Trained by Monty Arrossa for Utah residents Dennis Jensen and Randy Young, Fire Fast Honey won a division of the Governor’s Cup trials in 17.77 seconds on July 10, the fastest qualifying time.
Favorite Honey, trained by Arrossa, will have his stakes debut in the Governor’s Cup Futurity. By Favorite Cartel, Favorite Honey won a trial for the Governor’s Cup in 17.87, recording the fourth-fastest time.
There are three other fillies in the race, including Sizzling N Fast, a trial race winner in 17.84 for trainer Jaime Gomez.
The other three foals out of Coronas Fast Honey are at various stages of their young careers.
Fast Moonflash has yet to start at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. Fast Thru Fire was eighth in a division of the Ed Burke Million Futurity trials on May 30 in her most recent start, while Black Coffeee was ninth in the $1.12 million Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 20.
The Governor’s Cup Futurity is the final race on a 10-race program that includes the $100,000 Spencer Childers Handicap at 400 yards. The race is certain to have ramifications for the older horse division in coming months.
Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred and trainer Scott Willoughby start three of the seven runners – the major stakes winners Chocolatito, Circle City, and Nomadic.
Chocolatito won the Vessels Maturity and Los Alamitos Championship last year and missed out on a year-end title after finishing fourth in the Champion of Champions in December. In his lone start this year, Chocolatito was a troubled sixth in a division of the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship on Jan. 24. The loss earned the 5-year-old gelding a late winter break.
Circle City, who drew the rail on Saturday, won the Vessels Maturity at 400 yards on July 3 over Made Over, a contender in the Childers for trainer Jose Flores.
Nomadic has not raced since a win in the Southern California Derby last December.