Scane Memorial favorites coming out of Ed Burke trials, Kindergarten Futurity

Technically, Blues Girls Favorite and She Goes Up will have their stakes debut in Saturday’s $25,000 Fred Scane Memorial Handicap at Los Alamitos.

The competition they faced in divisions of the Ed Burke Million Futurity trials on May 30 makes an appearance in the Scane seem more like a drop in class.

Blues Girls Favorite was fourth by a length in the 350-yard time trials, beaten by Burke qualifier Sweet Dasha Fire, a full sister to 2015 Quarter Horse World Champion Heza Dasha Fire. Blues Girls Favorite, trained by Mike Casselman, won a maiden special weight race at 300 yards on April 30.

She Goes Up has had a similar career path, winning a maiden special weight race at 220 yards on April 24. In the Burke trials, She Goes Up was third by two lengths to Chizum after an unsettled start. Chizum earned a berth in Sunday’s Burke Futurity.

The Scane, named for the noted California Quarter Horse owner and breeder who died in 2020, is run at 350 yards for 2-year-old fillies and drew a field of eight.

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While Blues Girls Favorite and She Goes Up ran in the competitive trials for the Burke, Val Frida and La Blue Amore were fifth and sixth in the $297,900 Kindergarten Futurity at 300 yards on May 16, the first major stakes of the year at Los Alamitos for 2-year-olds.

Val Frida, trained by Jesus Nunez, was beaten three lengths by First Fast Honey after a slow start. La Blue Amore, trained at the time by Chris O’Dell, was beaten 3 1/4 lengths as a 4-1 contender. La Blue Amore was transferred to trainer Lindolfo Diaz after that race. O’Dell shipped his stable to Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico earlier this year.

Val Frida and La Blue Amore won 300-yard time trials for the Kindergarten on April 25 and will start at 350 yards for the first time in the Scane.

Blues Girls Favorite and La Blue Amore are closely related. Bred by Lucky Seven Ranch, Blues Girls Favorite is out of Blues Girl Too, the 2007 World Champion. Blues Girl Too is La Blue Amore’s second dam.