Mental Error looks to rebound in Vessels Maturity
On his best behavior, Mental Error has produced fine performances in Quarter Horse stakes at Los Alamitos this year.
Mental Error was the sharp winner of the Kaweah Bar Handicap at 350 yards on May 1, but only third by a head in a division of the Vessels Maturity time trials on June 12 when he drifted to the outside late in the 400-yard race.
Despite the loss, Mental Error was quick enough to earn a berth in Saturday’s $154,800 Vessels Maturity, the summertime championship for older Quarter Horses. The stakes are much higher than the purse. The winner will receive a provisional berth to the $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 11 at Los Alamitos.
The Vessels Maturity lacks a standout. Powerful Favorite, winner of the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February, was transferred to Ruidoso Downs for the summer where he won an allowance race last weekend in his first start at the New Mexico track. Powerful Favorite is expected to return to Los Alamitos this fall.
Until then, the Vessels Maturity will provide some order to the local older horse division, with Mental Error capable of a win with his best effort.
Owned by Bobby Simmons, Mental Error is one of two finalists in the field of 10 trained by Paul Jones, who also starts Spirit Foose, winner of the second of two time trials in 19.83 seconds.
Up Is Up beat Mental Error in the first trial in a 10-1 upset, finishing in 19.77. Mental Error has the third-fastest time of 19.79.
Mental Error has won 6 of 19 starts and earned $376,694, the third-highest career earnings among the finalists.
Eagles Fly Higher, a game second to Spirit Foose in the trials, has won 9 of 28 starts and earned $606,669. Eagles Fly Higher earned $223,225 with a second-place finish in the $1.01 million Texas Classic Futurity at Lone Star Park in 2018.
Earlier this year, Eagles Fly Higher won consecutive 350-yard stakes at Remington Park when trained by Casey Black. Eagles Fly Higher is now trained by Jaime Gomez at Los Alamitos.
Cattail Cove, third by a half-length behind Spirit Foose in the trials, has won 4 of 17 starts and earned $480,405. Trained by Juan Aleman, Cattail Cove has yet to win a stakes, but was second in the $1.9 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in 2019.