Heza Dasha Fire starts off in Spencer Childers Stakes

For the second consecutive year, Heza Dasha Fire, the 2015 World Champion Quarter Horse, will have his first start of the season in the $100,000 Spencer Childers Stakes on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

Last year, Heza Dasha Fire was beaten a head at 1-10 by He Looks Hot in the Childers, the launch of a four-race campaign that included wins in the Go Man Go Handicap and Los Alamitos Championship and a head loss to Mr. Pyc To You in the Champion of Champions in December.

The $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 18 is the season-ending goal with Heza Dasha Fire, who has won 15 of 21 starts and earned $2,167,987. Heza Dasha Fire won the 2015 Champion of Champions and has been second in the race the last two years.

Owned by Don, Kathy, and Shawn Meneely and trained by Jose Flores, Heza Dasha Fire has been favored in each of his races, a streak that will continue Saturday in the Childers at 400 yards.

Tarzanito is capable of an upset. Tarzanito was third by a neck against a tough group of runners in the Vessels Maturity at 400 yards on July 8.

The Childers is the leading race for older horses on a 12-race card at Los Alamitos.

Earlier on the program, J Fire Up, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2017, runs in the $203,000 Governor’s Cup Derby at 400 yards. J Fire Up won her first start of the year in a time trial for the Governor’s Cup Derby on July 8.

Trained and co-owned by Jaime Gomez, J Fire Up underwent surgery last winter to have bone chips removed from two ankles and a knee. The only filly in the 10-runner Governor’s Cup Derby, J Fire Up has won 8 of 10 starts and earned $1,433,711.

J Fire Up has won her last seven races, including three futurities – the Governor’s Cup, Golden State Million, and Los Alamitos Two Million.

The $380,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at 350 yards is the richest and final race on the program. This will be the third futurity appearance this year for Striver, who was second in the Kindergarten on May 20 and a troubled ninth in the Ed Burke Million on June 24.

The Governor’s Cup Futurity will be the stakes debut for Parsons Rocket, who set the fastest qualifying time of 17.58 seconds in time trials July 14.

Parsons Rocket is owned by Parsons Ranch and trained by Chris O’Dell, who have another qualifier in the unbeaten Favorite Wise Lady.