Hold Air Hostage faces Zoomin for Spuds in Go Man Go Handicap

The Quarter Horse champions Hold Air Hostage and Zoomin for Spuds will meet for the first time in Sunday’s $100,000 Go Man Go Handicap at Los Alamitos. There is a good chance they will see quite a bit of each other before the end of the year.

Both are prospects for the $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Dec. 15, a race that plays a vital role in year-end championship voting. Zoomin for Spuds won the 2016 Champion of Champions, the year he was honored as the champion 3-year-old gelding. Hold Air Hostage was the overall champion 3-year-old and 3-year-old gelding in 2017, and has not started in the Champion of Champions.

Zooming for Spuds holds an automatic berth for the Champion of Champions this year for his win in the Vessels Maturity at Los Alamitos on July 8, his most recent start. Trained by Monty Arrossa, Zoomin for Spuds races for owner and breeder Jim Walker and will be ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala.

Hold Air Hostage, owned by Dan Darling and trained by Jaime Gomez, was second by a nose to BH Lisas Boy in the California Regional Challenge at 440 yards on Aug. 11. Hold Air Hostage led by a length midway through the race and was caught at the wire in his first start since a second in the Remington Park Championship on June 2.

Zoomin for Spuds and Hold Air Hostage will dominate the betting for the Go Man Go Handicap, which drew a field of 10.

The winner could receive a berth for the Champion of Champions. The winners of eight major stakes from February to early November receive berths for the Champion of Champions. If a horse wins more than one race with an automatic berth, or a berth is declined, the winner of the Go Man Go Handicap will receive a berth.

Time trials in November will complete the field for the Champion of Champions.

Aside from Hold Air Hostage and Zoomin for Spuds, other contenders in the Go Man Go Handicap at 400 yards are He Looks Hot, LD Is Back and Tarzanito.

He Looks Hot was seventh in the Champion of Champions last December and has not raced since January. Ld Is Back and Tarzanito were second and third in the Spencer Childers Handicap on July 28.