Zoom On Jess seeks fourth straight win in John Ward Handicap

Zoom On Jess has an outstanding chance to extend his winning streak to four races in Saturday’s $16,000 John Ward Handicap at Los Alamitos, if he can beat stablemate CM Boom Shakalaka.

Zoom On Jess and CM Boom Shakalaka were first and third, separated by a half-length, in the $25,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap at 400 yards on Oct. 2. For both horses, the Schvaneveldt was their first starts at Los Alamitos since earlier this year after spending the summer as part of trainer Monty Arrossa’s stable in the Pacific Northwest.

Zoom On Jess, a 3-year-old gelding owned and bred by Gary and Jeralyn Messenger, began the current winning streak in a division of the Bitterroot Derby in Pocatello, Idaho, in mid-July and followed with his third stakes win in the final on July 31.

Earlier this year, Zoom On Jess raced at Los Alamitos where his best result was a second by a nose in the California Derby Challenge at 400 yards, the same distance as the Ward Handicap.

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CM Boom Shakalaka, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Chris Sutton, won the Emerald Downs Challenge Championship at 440 yards in Washington State for his third consecutive win. A five-time stakes winner in his 29-race career, CM Boom Shakalaka was the 6-5 favorite in the Schvaneveldt Handicap but bumped with a rival at the start.

In the Ward, CM Boom Shakalaka and Zoom On Jess have the two outside post positions in a field of six.

The other runners include Favorite Rock, Staubach, and Freight Boss, who finished second, fourth, and last in the six-runner Schvaneveldt.

The Schvaneveldt was the Los Alamitos debut for Favorite Rock, who won the Rocky Mountain Derby at 350 yards at Arapahoe Park near Denver on July 1 and was a well-beaten second to One Flying Dynasty in the Mile High Derby at 400 yards on Aug. 26.

Trained by Yanet Rodriguez, Favorite Rock made his Los Alamitos debut in the Schvaneveldt.

The Ward is restricted to horses that have had at least one start this year in the Pacific Northwest, Arizona, Nevada, or Canada, conditions similar to the Schvaneveldt Handicap. The series is designed to encourage owners and trainers to send horses to Los Alamitos in the fall after a majority of the tracks in those regions have finished their seasons.