Change is under way in the older Quarter Horse filly and mare division at Los Alamitos.
The recent retirement of Pattys Saint, a leading candidate to be champion aged mare of 2024, has led to an open running of Sunday’s $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap for fillies and mares at 400 yards.
Pattys Saint won the 2024 Charger Bar, the first of four consecutive stakes wins against fillies and mares. Pattys Saint was retired last month after finishing fifth against males in the $600,000 Champion of Champions.
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Pattys Saint was trained at the end of her career by Monty Arrossa, who is expected to have the favorite in Sunday’s Charger Bar with Streaks of Power, a lightly raced 5-year-old mare who has not started since a win in the $120,975 AQHA Challenge Distaff Championship at Albuquerque in October.
A winner of 5 of 9 starts, Streaks of Power was unbeaten in three starts last year, including two stakes.
“She’s proven time and time that she likes to run fresh,” Arrossa said in October.
In the Charger Bar, Streaks of Power starts from post 6 in a full field of 10 that includes the first four finishers of the $75,000 Las Damas Handicap for fillies and mares at 400 yards on Nov. 16 – Jessica Cruz, Wise Lady Dawn, Nymphette, and Jess Call Me Candy.
Nymphette was the 3-5 favorite in the Las Damas Handicap and was unable to overcome a slow start. Last January, Nymphette was third in the Charger Bar Handicap. She also was fifth in the 2023 running. Nymphette is winless in seven career starts at 400 yards.
Jessica Cruz, trained by Elena Andrade, won her final two starts of 2024, including the 220-yard Azure Three Handicap on Oct. 19. Jessica Cruz’s best asset of late has been quick starts, an obvious need in a ridiculously short race of 220 yards. The Las Damas was Jessica Cruz’s first win in five starts at 400 yards.
The Charger Bar Handicap is the richest race for fillies and mares at Los Alamitos until June. The race has drawn two runners from Texas trained by John Stinebaugh – Curls Joyful Wagon and First Time for Wine.
Curls Joyful Wagon, eighth in the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in 2022, has not raced since she finished seventh in the Distaff Challenge Championship in October after a troubled start. She was second in the $100,000 Junos Request Stakes at 400 yards for fillies and mares at Remington Park in June, the Midwest’s leading race for the division.
First Time for Wine won stakes for Texas-bred fillies and mares at 330 yards at Sam Houston and 400 yards at Lone Star Park last year.
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