Impeccably bred Reminder tries to improve on debut in Ed Burke Million Futurity trials
The Quarter Horse filly Reminder, who starts in a time trial for the Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos on Sunday, has been a source of attention since last fall when she sold for $450,000 at the Heritage Place yearling sale in Oklahoma City.
There is a good reason why Reminder was the most expensive hip at that prestigious sale. Reminder is by top stallion Favorite Cartel and is out of Remember Me Rose, one of Quarter Horse’s finest active broodmares.
Reminder is a full-sister to such prominent runners as Bomb Cyclone, the winner of the 2021 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity; Cyber Monday, who won the 2020 Ruidoso Futurity; Runforyourlife, who won the 2019 Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos; and Powerful Favorite, a millionaire and seven-time stakes winner from 2018 through last fall.
With that family, Reminder is supposed to start in races such as the Ed Burke Million Futurity, which will be held on June 19. First, there is the matter of Sunday’s trial race.
Trained by Monty Arrossa for John Simmons, Reminder starts in the fifth of 10 350-yard trials. The runners with the 10 fastest qualifying times advance to the final. There are 79 horses entered in the trials.
Reminder did not race to expectations in her career debut in a maiden special weight race at 300 yards on May 8. Sent off as the 11-10 favorite, Reminder finished fourth of seven, beaten 1 3/4 lengths after a slow start.
All trial race entrants have run at least once, and some as many as three times.
In the fourth race, Apollitical Jet will have his California debut after a win in the West Texas Juvenile at 300 yards at Sunland Park on April 3, the consolation for the West Texas Futurity. Apollitical Jet was recently transferred from trainer Eric Valenzuela in New Mexico to Valentin Zamudio at Los Alamitos.
The Ed Burke Million Futurity is the second major stakes for 2-year-olds of the year at Los Alamitos, preceded by the $257,500 Kindergarten Futurity on May 15. Navaja and Smokin Hot Fire, who were sixth and eighth in the Kindergarten, start in the second and fifth trials on Sunday.
Reminder is one of several big ticket yearling purchases in the trials. In the first race, Valiant Livy, bought for $220,000 at the Ruidoso yearling sale last September, will have her third start for trainer Paul Jones. Valiant Livy won a maiden special weight race at 220 yards on May 7 in her second race.