Since a win in a 220-yard maiden race on April 26, French Valley has been held in the highest regard by owner and breeder Steve Burns and his brother-in-law, trainer Mike Casselman.
What’s missing in French Valley’s brief career is a major stakes win, which could occur in Saturday’s $255,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at 350 yards at Los Alamitos.
French Valley, who drew the inside post in a field of 10, was second by three-quarters of a length in the $1 million Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos on June 15. French Valley rebounded from that loss to win a division of the Governor’s Cup Futurity trials on July 5 in 17.74 seconds, setting the third-fastest qualifying time for Saturday’s final.
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“She seems like she’s getting better and seems she enjoys her job,” Casselman told Los Alamitos publicity on trial night.
French Valley, one of four fillies in the Governor’s Cup Futurity, will need a top performance to beat fastest qualifier El Dictator. Trained by Ramiro Castillo, El Dictator is unbeaten in two starts – a 300-yard maiden race on June 21 and a division of the Governor’s Cup trials. El Dictator won the trial in 17.76 seconds.
Casselman has three finalists, including Bear Down, third to El Dictator in the trials, and Mayor Humdinger, a trial race winner in 17.72 seconds.
The Governor’s Cup Futurity is one of six stakes on Saturday evening’s nine-race program.
The Castillo-trained Up to Party will be favored in the $175,000 Governor’s Cup Derby at 400 yards.
Up to Party won the 2024 Ed Burke Million Futurity when trained by Monty Arrossa, who is currently banned from racing at Los Alamitos after his stable had positive tests for banned medications in major futurities and time trials last fall. Castillo was formerly an assistant to Arrossa.
Up to Party was a troubled ninth in the $430,000 Los Alamitos Oaks in March and did not race again until the trials for the Governor’s Cup Derby on July 5, when she won the first of two trials in 19.71 seconds to set the fastest qualifying time.
Defending Champ, trained by Scott Willoughby, won the second trial in 17.81 seconds in his first start since a second-place finish in the $235,500 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos in March.
Saturday’s leading race for older horses is the $75,000 Spencer Childers Handicap at 400 yards, which drew a field of six, including London Toby, who has won the Childers the last two years; and Cattail Cove, an 8-year-old gelding who won for the 12th time in his 55th start in the Independence Day Handicap at 300 yards on July 6.
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