Hold Air Hostage makes California bow in Bank of America California Regional Challenge

Hold Air Hostage, the champion 3-year-old Quarter Horse of 2017, will have his California debut in Saturday’s $45,180 Bank of America California Regional Challenge at Los Alamitos, a qualifying race for the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship there on Nov. 17.

The winner of the Bank of America Challenge Championship receives a berth in the $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 15.

Hold Air Hostage, owned by Dan Darling and trained by Jaime Gomez, was second in the Remington Park Championship on June 2. A gelding, Hold Air Hostage won his 4-year-old debut in the Sooner State Stakes for Oklahoma-breds at Remington Park on May 5.

Last year, Hold Air Hostage won the Heritage Place, Rainbow, and All American derbies to secure the 3-year-old title.

Hold Air Hostage is part of a strong field of seven in the California Regional Challenge. Hold Air Hostage will break from post 2, with a formidable rival on the rail in the multiple stakes winner Bh Lisas Boy.

Trained by owner and breeder Bill Hoburg, Bh Lisas Boy won the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February and was second by a nose to Zoomin for Spuds in the Vessels Maturity on July 8.

Bh Lisas Boy holds a berth in the Champion of Champions for winning the Winter Championship.

Flash N Bling, who won the 2017 California Regional Challenge, was ninth in the Vessels Maturity, but can be forgiven for the loss. The 5-year-old gelding lost all chance when he head was turned at the break.

Kissed by an Eagle, who starts from the outside, will race at 440 yards for the first time. Trained by Roman Figueroa, Kissed by an Eagle was second by a head in the Southern California Derby last December and a troubled fourth in the Winter Championship.