Rainstorm affects time trials for Million

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - A torrential rainstorm during Friday's time trials for the Los Alamitos Million Futurity changed the condition of the track, and as a result some of the nation's top 2-year-old Quarter Horses failed to qualify for the $1.3 million race on Dec. 13.

Two of the nation's top fillies - AB What a Runner and Morning Snow - failed to qualify. AB What a Runner, the winner of the All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in September, and Morning Snow, the winner of two major stakes at Los Alamitos this year, both ran after the track conditions changed from fast to sloppy.

Nine of the 10 qualifiers ran in the first four trials, before the rain fell.

Royal Miracle Dip set the fastest qualifying time, winning the second trial with a 400-yard time of 19.83 seconds.

Only one horse qualified after the fourth trial. Meteoric, third in the All American Futurity, won the ninth trial in 19.925 seconds, which tied for the fifth fastest qualifying time.

The 10th and final qualifying time was 20.005 seconds set by First Place Queen, the fourth-place finisher in the first trial.

Morning Snow was timed in 20.04 seconds after finishing second in the fifth trial. Morning Snow would have been eligible for a $1 million bonus with a victory in the Los Alamitos Million, having already won the Kindergarten and Ed Burke Memorial Futurity earlier this year.

AB What a Runner was timed in 20.14 seconds after winning the seventh trial.

John Bassett trains five finalists - The Blues Man, Lotta Bang, Xterra, Corona Caliente, and First Place Queen. Other qualifiers are Lock to Load, Deladash, and Special Queen SA.