New races add spice to '10 Los Al schedule

A futurity for claimers and one for horses who raced in the spring and summer in the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest states have been added to the 2010 Quarter Horse stakes schedule at Los Alamitos.

The $75,000 Wild West Futurity over 350 yards on Oct. 23 is the richest addition to the stakes schedule. It will be restricted to horses who make at least two starts in Colorado, the Dakotas, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming.

The Los Alamitos racing secretary, Ron Church, said initial feedback from owners and trainers in those states was favorable and that the race could lead to a boost in the number of horses in training at Los Alamitos in the fall when those states have finished their Quarter Horse meetings.

"If they come with a futurity horse, naturally they bring a few extra," Church said.

The Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity will be run on June 12, with a purse of $50,000. The time trials are on May 28 and feature a new wrinkle for such races: Horses will be eligible to be claimed from the trials, and run for new owners and trainers in the final.

"It will make these guys think a little bit, since they can be claimed," Church said. "It's something we've never tried."

The stakes schedule for the 2010 meeting, which runs through Dec. 19, was announced in late December.

The track will host four races worth at least $1 million - the $1 million Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 10, the Golden State Million Futurity on Oct. 29, the $1 million Los Alamitos Super Derby on Nov. 6, and the $2 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity on Dec. 10.

The richest race for older horses will be the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 11.

Snowbound Superstar shortening up

Snowbound Superstar, who won 15 straight races at 870 yards before running second in the Challenge Distance Championship over 870 yards in October, reverts to 550 yards for Friday's $20,000 Barbra B Handicap.

Owned by Brenda and Tom Brinkley and trained by Paul Jones, Snowbound Superstar will make his first start on a straightaway since a third-place finish in a 350-yard maiden race at Los Alamitos in February 2006. He is winless in three starts on the straightaway.

Friday he is part of a field of six that includes Double Out, who was winless in three major derbys last year.