Quirky Looks for Repeat in the $100,000 Mildred Vessels Handicap
A quality Quarter Horse stakes will cap off the weekend Sunday evening at Los Alamitos. Multiple graded stakes champion mare, Quirky leads a full field in the $100,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap (G1).
The winner of the 400-yard feature receives a berth in the $600,000 Champion of Champions (G1) in December. There are eight Quarter Horse stakes which offer automatic berths into the prestigious stakes with just the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on September 25, The Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship on October 9, The Bank of America Challenge Championship on October 29, and The Los Alamitos Super Derby on November 6, supplying the remaining spots.
The winner of the 400-yard feature receives a berth in the $600,000 Champion of Champions (G1) in December. There are eight Quarter Horse stakes which offer automatic berths into the prestigious stakes with just the Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on September 25, The Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship on October 9, The Bank of America Challenge Championship on October 29, and The Los Alamitos Super Derby on November 6, supplying the remaining spots.
Champion mare Quirky defends her title in the $100,000 Mildred Vessels Sunday at Los Alamitos
The California-bred daughter of Stel Corona, Quirky will be ridden by Eulices Gomez for trainer James Glenn, Jr. Undefeated in 2016, she has won nine of her 17 career starts, including last year's Mildred Vessels. She has been assigned the high weight of 129 pounds, so while she is an undisputed champion, handicappers may be looking for another filly or mare in the race as a spoiler. Sass Me Blue, with Cody Jensen in the irons, has plenty of upside. She is stakes-placed in several derbys last year and ran second in the 2016 Charger Bar Handicap. Jess Cuz, a Mr Jess Perry mare from the barn of Elena Andrade, returns off a nice allowance prep at Los Alamitos in June. Political Chick, the Idaho-bred Apolitical Zoom is 10-1 on the morning line and will be ridden by Cesar DeAlba. Or how about 2016 La Primera Del Ano Derby winner, Jess Good Reason? The 3-year-old Oklahoma-bred is conditioned by AQHA champion trainer Paul Jones and it is very rare to get 20-1 on any Jones trainee.
Quirky is currently ranked 8th on the AQHA Racing-Horseplayernow.com National Poll for older horses. Make sure you catch her and her nine rivals in action Sunday night in the Vessels, which runs as race eight on the card.
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