Los Alamitos: Cold Cash 123 seeks rebound in Bank of America Challenge Championship

CYPRESS, Calif. – Cold Cash 123 was the 2011 Quarter Horse World Champion, a title that seems more distant with each passing month.

Since his championship season, Cold Cash 123 has won 4 of 10 starts, and just 1 of 5 races this year. He is not at the forefront of the nation’s top older horses.

A 5-year-old gelding, Cold Cash 123 starts in Saturday’s $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos, in a last chance to revive his season. The winner of the 440-yard race receives an automatic berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Dec. 14.

Last year, Rylees Boy won both races and was named champion aged horse.

Cold Cash 123 was seventh by a length in the Remington Park Championship over 440 yards on June 1 and eighth in the Go Man Go Handicap here Sept. 14. In the Go Man Go Handicap over 400 yards, Cold Cash 123 finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Last to Fire, who dominated the race winning by 1 3/4 lengths.

Those losses are not as discouraging as they seem, said James Lackey, the former jockey who assists trainer Sleepy Gilbreath.

“In the Go Man Go, it was a blanket finish from second through eighth,” he said. “At Remington Park, he got beat a length and they set a track record. He ran 21.21 [seconds]. His races don’t look good, but if you analyze them they’re not that bad.”

Owned by Carolyn Bay, Cold Cash 123 has won 13 of 24 starts and earned $1,328,306. In 2011, he won the Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs, the Texas Classic Derby at Lone Star Park, and the Championship at Sunland Park against older horses.

For Saturday’s race, Cold Cash 123 drew the outside in a field of 11. His main rivals are Sparky E Boy and Jess Featureme Quick, who were second and sixth in the Go Man Go.

The Challenge Championship is the richest of 10 stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday night, five of which are worth $100,000 or more.

The $100,000 Red Cell Distance Challenge Championship will be the first 870-yard race run at Los Alamitos this year. The once-robust division has been weakened, and the eight runners in the Distance Championship all made their last starts outside of California.

All About Larry, the 2012 winner when the race was run at Prairie Meadows, breaks from the rail.

The Los Alamitos-based Make a Wish for Me, a winner of 3 of 4 starts, will be favored in the $150,000 John Deere Juvenile Championship over 350 yards. Trained by Paul Jones, Make a Wish for Me won the California Juvenile Challenge on Aug. 24.

Check N Fetch, winner of the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Handicap on Sept. 29, starts in the $100,000 Merial Distaff Championship. She earned a berth to the Champion of Champions with the win in the Mildred Vessels.

In the $200,000 Adequan Derby Championship over 400 yards, Jr Dynasty Mountain will be favored to extend his winning streak to three races.