Breeders’ Champions Is a Brotherly Affair

Full brothers Wave Carver and Sir Runaway Dash will be trying to win Grade I stakes races on Saturday night at Los Alamitos as part of the annual California Breeders’ Champions card.

The fastest qualifier for the $167,000 Governor’s Cup Derby, Wave Carver will be favored against nine other 3-year-olds in the 400-yard race less than an hour after Sir Runaway Dash attempts to break his maiden in his third start in the $415,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity. Both Grade I races are restricted to California breds.

Owned by Vaughn Cook, Dan Lucas, Muller Racing and Vessels Stallion Farm and trained by Paul Jones, Wave Carver, a gray son of First Down Dash, was sensational in winning his Governor’s Cup Derby trial on July 15. In winning for the sixth time in 10 starts, he ran the 400 yards in 19.49 seconds and finished two lengths in front of runner-up Bonos Party.

Wave Carver, who was second in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby earlier this year and in the Los Alamitos Million last fall, will break from the outside on Saturday under regular rider Ramon Sanchez.

His younger brother, Sir Runaway Dash, will be a longshot in the 350-yard Futurity, which has never offered a bigger purse, and a victory would enable him to emulate another brother. The now retired Ocean Runaway, the 2005 winner of the Champion of Champions, is a full brother to Wave Carver and Sir Runaway Dash and won the Governor’s Cup Futurity two years ago.

“We’re hoping he turns into the next Wave Carver or Ocean Runaway,” said Jones, who trains Sir Runaway Dash for owners John Kirkham and Bruce Dickamore. “He’s a very talented colt who qualified for this futurity in only his second start. He’s a good looking horse and just like Wave Carver, he tries very hard. He wants to do things right and has the attitude to be a race horse.”

The one to beat in the Futurity is Tac It Like A Man, who was the fastest qualifier during the trials on July 14.

The son of First Down Dash had been beaten in his first three races but won his trial by a half-length in 17.46 seconds.

Trained by Jaime Gomez for owner-breeder Double Bar S Ranch LLC, Tac It Like A Man, who finished fourth in the Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 24, will be ridden by J.R. Ramirez.

“He’s for real,” Gomez said. “He hadn’t won a race going into the trials, but he showed what he is capable of in that race.”

The $161,000 Spencer L. Childers Handicap, a restricted Grade I race at 400 yards, will feature Catchmeinyourdreams and Be A Bono, who has won the race named for his owner-breeder two years in a row.

A 7-year-old Pritzi Dash gelding owned by Kirk Goodfellow and trained by Christopher O’Dell, Catchmeinyourdreams showed no signs of slowing down in his comeback win on June 24. He prevailed by a half-length in an allowance race for his 13th win in 43 starts and a victory would push him over $1 million in career earnings.

All told, there are 12 races on California Breeders Champions night with purses totaling $975,000.