Vessels Maturity another stepping-stone for Bh Lisas Boy

Bh Lisas Boy has a set schedule this year, a campaign geared toward the $750,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Dec. 16.

Bh Lisas Boy earned an automatic berth with a win in the Los Alamitos Winter Championship for older Quarter Horses in February. Another berth is available to the winner of Sunday’s $162,000 Vessels Maturity at 400 yards for older horses.

A win in the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity would not change the year-end goal for Bh Lisas Boy, but it would strengthen his position as one of the nation’s leading older horses.

Owned and trained by breeder Bill Hoburg, Bh Lisas Boy is unbeaten in four starts this year, all at Los Alamitos, and was the fastest qualifier for the Vessels Maturity in time trials on June 11. Bh Lisas Boy ran 400 yards in 19.52 seconds, slightly quicker than Freakin Runaway’s time of 19.54 seconds in the next race.

Hoburg trained the 5-year-old Bh Lisas Boy last year and turned the gelding over to John Cooper during the winter when he returned to his farm near Boise, Idaho, to work with 2-year-olds. Hoburg resumed training Bh Lisas Boy this spring when he returned to Los Alamitos, before the Vessels trials.

Hoburg has one broodmare, Apollo Snowbound, the dam of Bh Lisas Boy.

“It’s one chance in a million to get a horse like this,” Hoburg told Los Alamitos publicity on June 11.

“The horse is happy here. In the Northwest, one of our problems is that we haul horses and we race them. This is the first chance in his life that’s he’s got to be home. The horse is running to his potential now.”

Bh Lisas Boy drew the outside post in Sunday’s final. Of the nine rivals, four are trained by Mike Robbins – Flash N Bling, Freakin Runaway, Rip Tide, and The Charm of Corona.

Each seeks a first stakes win. Freakin Runaway is owned by Michael Amburn. The other three Robbins-trained runners are owned by Gary and Micah McKinney’s Reliance Ranches.

Zoomin for Spuds, the winner of the 2016 Champion of Champions, may be the biggest threat to Bh Lisas Boy, even though the 4-year-old gelding is winless in three starts this year. Trained by Monte Arossa, Zoomin for Spuds was second to Bh Lisas Boy in the Winter Championship and third to Dr Jess in a division of the Vessels trials.

Dr Jess, fifth in the 2016 Vessels Maturity, has yet to win a major stakes. Sunday’s race will be his 18th start.