Maiden Stakes trials draws improving pair

The career trajectories of Ilushion Eagle and Republic Anne have changed remarkably in the last few months at Los Alamitos.

Both were winless in their first five starts, but each has won a maiden race and an allowance race since mid-December for trainer Jaime Gomez. The timing of their improvement allows Ilushion Eagle and Republic Anne to start in Sunday’s time trials for the $101,250 Maiden Stakes, which is restricted to horses that had not won as of Dec. 1.

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There are five 350-yard trials on Sunday evening’s eight-race program. The runners with the 10 fastest times, regardless of finishing position, advance to the final on Feb. 21.

Republic Anne starts in the first division, the fourth race. Her main rival is Nuclear Option, who is winless in five starts and was beaten a neck in a maiden race at 300 yards on Dec. 4.

Nuclear Option is out of Thermonuclear Energy, winner of the Charger Bar Handicap in 2019. Nuclear Option was bred via embryo transfer, which allowed Thermonuclear Energy to resume racing after the breeding.

Ilushion Eagle starts in the fourth trial, the seventh race on the program, against Dynastic Energy, a maiden race winner on Dec. 26 in his fourth start. Dynastic Energy is a half-brother to Thermonuclear Energy.

The field for the third trial is led by Sullee, a $100,000 yearling purchase who won a maiden race in his seventh start on Dec. 6.

Following Sunday’s program, there will be no live racing at Los Alamitos until Feb. 12. The track customarily takes a one-week break in early February in conjunction with Super Bowl weekend and will not race next Friday through Sunday.

Zoomin for Spuds turned out

Zoomin for Spuds, the champion 3-year-old gelding of 2016 who was beaten a nose in the Los Alamitos Championship in October, has been turned out for a late-winter rest, trainer Monty Arrossa said in a text message earlier this week.

Zoomin for Spuds, 8, was last of seven in a division of the $157,750 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship trials last Sunday. Zoomin for Spuds won the 2019 Winter Championship. In December, Zoomin for Spuds finished ninth of 10 in the $600,000 Champion of Champions, his fifth consecutive appearance in the race, which he won in 2016.

Zoomin for Spuds might return in time for the Vessels Maturity in July, the track’s top race for older horses in the summer.