Kr Hi Five surges to Wild West Futurity victory

Kr Hi Five was slow at the start and brilliant at the finish of Sunday’s $136,850 Wild West Futurity at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Jose Nicasio, Kr Hi Five bumped with a rival and trailed the leaders by about a half-length early in the 350-yard race. Through the final 150 yards, Kr Hi Five accelerated noticeably to take the lead and win by a half-length over Arizona Favorite.

Kr Hi Five ($15.80) was timed in 17.60 seconds, earning $57,577 for owners Sally and Dave Kidd.

Arizona Favorite, a 13-1 chance, finished a nose in front of 19-1 Mister Fdd in the field of 10. Jess Send It, the 3-5 favorite, finished last after throwing his head at the start and breaking slowly.

Kr Hi Five has won 4 of 7 starts and earned $72,126.

The Wild West Futurity was restricted to horses that started at least twice in Western states other than California, the upper Midwest or the Western Canadian provinces. Kr Hi Five had his first two starts at Weber Downs in Utah before joining trainer Jaime Gomez’s stable at Los Alamitos.

Kr Hi Five won a division of the Wild West Futurity trials on Oct. 7 to qualify for Sunday’s final.