Los Alamitos: Turbulent Times denies Five Bar Cartel's Bonanza bid in Golden State Million

CYPRESS, Calif. – The $1 million Los Alamitos Bonanza, paid if a horse sweeps the track’s three leading futurities, will go unclaimed for yet another year.

Sunday, Turbulent Times ($8.40) won his first stakes in Sunday’s $1,002,700 Golden State Million Futurity, finishing a half-length in front of 12-1 Mr Corona Cartel. Rock You, a 39-1 shot, was third. Turbulent Times ran 400 yards in 19.43 seconds.

Five Bar Cartel, who won the first leg of the Los Alamitos Bonanza in the Ed Burke Million Futurity in June, could only finish fifth as the 3-5 favorite. Five Bar Cartel bumped with a rival at the start of the Golden State Million and never recovered.

Turbulent Times was fourth in the Ed Burke after being bumped at the start. Trained by Jose De La Torre for Jesus Avila and Jesus Cuevas, Turbulent Times is not eligible for the third leg of the Bonanza, the Los Alamitos Two Million in December.

Five Bar Cartel is nominated for the Two Million, and will start in the trials for that race on Nov. 24. The final is Dec. 15.

Saturday, Matabari, the winner of the 2012 Los Alamitos Two Million, won the $953,200 Los Alamitos Super Derby, the first stakes win of the year for the 3-year-old filly. The win gives Matabari an automatic berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions against older horses at Los Alamitos on Dec. 14.

In the 400-yard Super Derby, Matabari ($9.80) broke from the rail and won by a head over 27-1 Scatmandu. Otoole Hero was third in the field of 10.

Remembering Spence, the 3-5 favorite who won the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February, finished fifth after a slow start.

Matabari races for Balgo Racing Team and Marlyn Gonzalez and is trained by Guillermo Morales.