Ima Fearless Hero has come a long way

CYPRESS, Calif. – Ima Fearless Hero began the year as a highly regarded colt in trainer Jose Antonio Flores’s stable. He will the end the season as a gelding, and perhaps a multiple stakes winner.

Ima Fearless Hero is expected to go favored in Sunday’s $1,957,175 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity for Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos. The Two Million is the track’s third and final seven-figure futurity of the year.

A win would give Ima Fearless Hero his fourth consecutive victory, including the $375,00 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association Futurity on Oct. 3.

On Nov. 22, Ima Fearless Hero qualified for the Two Million Futurity with a convincing win by 2 1/4 lengths in a division of the 400-yard time trials. Ima Fearless Hero set the fastest qualifying time of 19.85 seconds. The win was a reflection of Ima Fearless Hero’s development in recent months.

“He has matured so much,” Flores said. “Since the beginning of the year, he’s been a whole different horse.”

Ima Fearless Hero has won 5 of 7 starts and $181,265. He was gelded shortly after the first start of his career in April.

Ima Fearless Hero was expected to be a successful runner. Owned by breeders Don and Kathy Meneely of Kenewick, Wash., Ima Fearless Hero is a half-brother to Heza Dasha Fire, the champion 2-year-old gelding of 2014. Heza Dasha Fire was entered for Saturday’s $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos.

Flores has three runners in the Two Million field, including trial race winners Jess a Pollitician and We Like Corona.

Ima Fearless Hero’s main rivals are Docs Best Card and Walk Thru Crystal.

There are six major futurities at Los Alamitos through the year, and Docs Best Card has qualified for five of them. Owned and trained by Jaime Gomez, Docs Best Card has yet to win a major race, but was second in the Kindergarten in May, the Ed Burke Million in June, and the Golden State Million on Nov. 1. Docs Best Card was ninth in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Futurity.

The Two Million will be Docs Best Card’s 11th start of the year.

Walk Thru Crystal won the Ed Burke Million Futurity and was fourth in the Golden State Million, losing by a neck to Little Talks, who did not qualify for the Two Million Futurity. Walk Thru Crystal is one of two fillies in the Two Million Futurity field.