Heza Dasha Fire will try for Los Alamitos Bonanza sweep

CYPRESS, Calif. – There is no urgency to continue the career of Heza Dasha Fire, the undefeated winner of the $985,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos on June 22.

Instead of rushing “up the mountain” to try Heza Dasha Fire in the time trials for the $2.6 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico in August, trainer Jose Antonio Flores said Heza Dasha Fire’s season will be centered on two autumn races at Los Alamitos.

The goals are the Golden State Million Futurity, which has trials Oct. 19 and a final Nov. 2, and the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, which has trials Nov. 23 and a final Dec. 14.

The Burke, Golden State Million, and Los Alamitos Two Million futurities are part of the Los Alamitos Bonanza. A $1 million bonus is available to a horse who sweeps the three races. The sweep has not been accomplished since the Bonanza was launched in 1998.

For the next month, Flores said Heza Dasha Fire will remain with his stable at Los Alamitos, spending afternoons in an outdoor pen and nights in a stall. The gelding will resume training in late July.

Heza Dasha Fire, owned by breeders Don and Kathy Meneely of Kennewick, Wash., and their adult son, Shawn, won the 350-yard Burke by 1 1/4 lengths over Oneapolliticalflight, finishing in 17.22 seconds. The time was the second-fastest running of the Burke, behind the 17.17 clocking by Carters Cartel in 2007.

Heza Dasha Fire is undefeated in three starts, including a maiden race April 27 and a division of the Ed Burke trials June 8. Heza Dasha Fire has earned $402,730. He is a gelding who is calm around the barn but changes before the start, Flores said.

“When he goes to the gate, he starts caring about stuff,” Flores said.

Don Meneely described the All American Futurity as a prestigious race but said conditions in Ruidoso can be difficult for California-based runners.

“It’s tough out there because it’s two days of trials, plus there’s a climate and altitude change,” he said.

Heza Dasha Fire’s win came less than a week after the Flores stable lost the 2013 stakes winner Glitter In My Face to colitis.

“It was a good race to win and good for morale,” Flores said.

Glitter In My Face won the Kindergarten Futurity in 2013 for Flores’s father, Antonio.