LD Fire and Streakin Laquinta hooked up for the first dead heat in the 59-year history of the 350-yard Ed Burke Futurity, on June 20 at Los Alamitos Race Course. With identical times of :17.341, they each earned $283,200 from the $1 million total purse.
LD Fire, ridden by Alejandro Luna, gave trainer Jaime Gomez his thirteenth win from the last 27 G1 or RG1 futurities contested at Los Alamitos.
“LD Fire showed her guts tonight,” said co-owner Mike Abraham of the Walk Thru Fire-sired filly, who went off as the 11-10 favorite, after winning her trial with the fastest qualifying time.
Sent out by trainer Connie Hall under jockey Eddie Garcia, Streakin Laquinta overcame a rough start to catch LD Fire in the finals strides.
“Forty yards before the wire we hooked up,” said Garcia. “I thought I had the better last jump, but she was tough. I think another split second and I would have been ahead of her. That’s just how horse racing goes.”
On the merits of the win, Streakin Laquinta, who is eligible to run in the All American Futurity, could be headed for New Mexico.
“With his breeding, we feel that he could handle the 440 yards, and it looks like this could work out well,” said the Streakin La Jolla son’s owner and breeder John Bobenrieth. Streakin Laquinta is the first foal out of the stakes winner A Sisstar, a full sibling to world champion A Ransom, also owned and bred by Bobenrieth (click here to see an interview with Bobenrieth prior to the trials).
“A Ransom won a lot of big races but this is our first futurity winner since Chicks Beduino,” noted Bobenrieth, referring to the all-time leading sire, who won the Bay Meadows Futurity in 1986. “It doesn’t matter to us if it came in a dead-heat or not. This is big and it’s a lot of fun.”
The dead heat is the second one this season between trainers Jaime Gomez and Connie Hall. In early April, Gomez-trained Twin Spires, who would go on to win the $300,000 Kindergarten Futurity, and Hall’s No Mor Sno tied for the win in a maiden race.
Gianni Samaja’s Three Times The Toll earned $115,200 for finishing third for jockey Ramon Sanchez and trainer Paul Jones. Rancho El Alacran’s My Sexy Lady earned $67,200 for running fourth. Mollys Cartel ran fifth. Rocco Rojo, Tools Of Fire, Dashingfordestiny, Fire Specialist and Shining First Dash completed the field.