Mr Bill no laughing matter in Cypress Handicap

Mr Bill had things largely going his way in the autumn until he finished a well-beaten fifth in a division of the Southern California Derby trials on Nov. 29 at Los Alamitos.

Those derby trials were comprised of a tough group of horses. That is not the case in Friday’s $20,000 Cypress Handicap at 350 yards at Los Alamitos.

The Cypress Handicap drew a field of six who are a cut below the circuit’s leading older horses that will participate in the time trials for the Brad McKinzie Winter Championship on Jan. 24. The final for the Winter Championship is Feb. 14.

Mr Bill, trained by Lindolfo Diaz, won a $25,000 claimer at 300 yards on Oct. 11 and was a game second by a head in an allowance race at 330 yards on Nov. 9. Similar to the other five runners in the Cypress Handicap, Mr Bill has yet to win a stakes.

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A shipper from New Mexico and a filly who ran in the track’s only six-figure race this year are Mr Bill’s main rivals.

The Cypress Handicap is the first start at Los Alamitos since March 2017 for the 7-year-old gelding Redneck Ryan. Officially, Redneck Ryan was winless in four starts last year, but he did finish first in an allowance race at 440 yards at The Downs at Albuquerque in September only to be disqualified from the purse money because of a medication violation.

In his only subsequent start, Redneck Ryan was second by a neck in an allowance race at 350 yards on Dec. 16 at Zia Park. Redneck Ryan was transferred to Jaime Gomez following that race.

The Cypress Handicap is the third consecutive stakes appearance for Terra Fire who was sixth in the $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap for fillies and mares on Jan 3, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Kiss Thru Fire.

Franco eligible to return

Jockey Cesar Franco is eligible to resume riding as early as this weekend after serving a nine-month suspension for possession of an electrical device.

In a ruling dated Dec. 20, Los Alamitos stewards wrote that Franco’s penalty would end Friday, provided he paid a $2,500 fine. Franco is not booked to ride on Friday’s eight-race program.

Last March, Franco was summarily suspended by Los Alamitos stewards for possession of an electrical device. According to minutes published on the California Horse Racing Board’s website, Los Alamitos security witnessed Franco drive a car that struck a fence in early 2020. Racing board investigators and Los Alamitos security searched the area where the incident occurred and found an electrical device, leading to an immediate suspension.

Franco rode the winners of minor stakes at Los Alamitos in 2018 and 2019.