Trio of allowance winners step up in Dillingham Handicap
The Quarter Horse geldings Cactus Jack, Extreme Reasons, and Look Up approach Saturday’s $35,000 Dillingham Handicap at Los Alamitos in similar circumstances. All won allowance races at 330 yards in April and May and can stake a position in California’s 3-year-old division in the Dillingham as more lucrative races of the summer draw closer.
The Dillingham Handicap, run at 400 yards, drew a field of eight 3-year-olds led by Favorite Honey, who won the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity last October. Trained by Monty Arrossa, Favorite Honey has started in two major stakes since then, finishing seventh in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December and sixth in the El Primero Del Ano Derby on March 27.
Extreme Reasons, fifth in a division of the El Primero Del Ano Derby trials on March 6, won an allowance race March 27 for his second win in nine starts. The Dillingham Handicap is the stakes debut for Extreme Reasons, who is trained by Jose Flores.
Look Up won an allowance race by an easy 1 1/2 lengths on April 3 in his first start since Jan. 1. Look Up has won 2 of 8 starts for owner-breeder Ed Allred and trainer Scott Willoughby.
Cactus Jack won an allowance race on April 16 for his third win in 10 starts. Trained by Willoughby for Allred, Cactus Jack was second and third in minor stakes last August and October.
Allred, who owns Los Alamitos, also starts Watch Out, who was seventh after a troubled trip in the El Primero Del Ano Derby for trainer James Glenn Jr. Watch Out was fifth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity at 400 yards in December and won a division of the El Primero Del Ano Derby trials on March 6 at that distance.
The Dillingham Handicap is the last of 10 races at Los Alamitos on Saturday evening. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.