More focused Mental Error favored in tougher of two Vessels Maturity trials
Mental Error was the sort of 3-year-old in 2020 who made a variety of mistakes in important Quarter Horse races at Los Alamitos.
On occasion, he was fractious before the start, and even when he was well-behaved in the gate he frequently broke poorly.
This spring, Mental Error’s manners have improved, leading to two minor stakes wins at 350 yards in March and May. Saturday, Mental Error will be favored to win the first of two 400-yard time trials for the $154,800 Vessels Maturity on July 3.
Trained by Paul Jones for Bobby Simmons, Mental Error is part of a field of eight in race 7, the stronger of the two trials. There are seven runners in the second trial, the eighth and final race on the program. The runners with the 10 fastest times, regardless of finishing positions, advance to the final.
Despite his faults last year, Mental Error was second in the $1.05 million Los Alamitos Super Derby in November. Mental Error qualified for the $154,550 Southern California Derby last December, but was withdrawn on race day.
This spring, Mental Error has won the $20,000 First Day of Spring Stakes on March 20 and $35,000 Kaweah Bar Handicap on May 1. Redneck Ryan and Circle City, second and third in the Kaweah Bar, start in Saturday’s first trial, along with Kiss My Astica, a 4-year-old filly who finished 10th in the $393,210 Texas Classic Derby at Lone Star Park last November when trained by Wes Giles.
Kiss My Astica, one of two fillies or mares in Saturday’s trials, was sent to trainer Monty Arrossa earlier this year. She has had two workouts, including 350 yards from the gate in a solid 18.1 seconds on May 25 in advance of her first start of the year on Saturday.
“I was hoping we could get an out in her here,” Arrossa said. “I was happy with both workouts. We’ve been spending a lot of time at the gate.
“It’s a tough trial. Of the two trials, I think it is the toughest. We just want to qualify.”
Circle City, trained by Scott Willoughby, won the $204,100 Golden State Derby last August.
The second division of the trials is led by Old School Icon and Cattail Cove, who were third and fifth in the Southern California Derby, and the Oklahoma shipper Eagles Fly Higher.
Earlier this year, Eagles Fly Higher won 2 of 5 starts in stakes in a busy campaign at Remington Park, with both wins at 350 yards on March 20 and April 1. More recently, Eagles Fly Higher was fourth in the $100,000 Sooner State Stakes on April 17 and fifth in the $84,000 Boyd Morris Memorial Stakes on May 22, both races at 400 yards.
One notable absence from the Vessels trials is Zoomin for Spuds, who won the race in 2018. An 8-year-old gelding, Zoomin for Spuds was seventh in a division of the time trials for the Brad McKinzie Winter Championship on Jan. 24 and is being prepared at a San Diego County farm for comeback in the second half of the year, Arrossa said.
“I had no intention of running him this early,” Arrossa said. “He needed the break. He’s done well out there.”