Mayor Humdinger avoided the troubled start that affected stablemate French Valley to win his third consecutive start in Saturday’s $255,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Martin Arriaga for owner and trainer Mike Casselman, Mayor Humdinger was away well from post 8 and prominent throughout the 350-yard dash.
Mayor Humdinger ($14.80) outfinished 3-1 El Dictator, who led with 100 yards remaining, to win by a neck. Fancy Upp (20-1) finished third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths. The Casselman-trained French Valley, the 6-5 favorite, stumbled after the start from an inside post and could only finish sixth of 10, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.
Mayor Humdinger was timed in 17.61 seconds, earning $105,000.
A gelding by first-year stallion Mpshinning, Mayor Humdinger won his second start in a 300-yard maiden race on June 14 and his third start in a division of the Governor’s Cup Futurity on July 5. Mayor Humdinger has earned $108,285 in four starts.
There were six stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday, including two other prominent races, on the track’s richest Quarter Horse program of July.
Defending Champ won his first stakes, and for the fourth time in his last five starts, in the $175,000 Governor’s Cup Derby. Ridden by Gabriel Lara, Defending Champ ($6.20) ran 400 yards in 19.69 seconds, giving trainer Scott Willoughby his 100th career stakes win at Los Alamitos.
Defending Champ, who races for Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred, finished three-quarters of a length in front of 3-1 Favorite Jesshawk. Its On You (41-1) finished third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, while 9-5 favorite Up to Party finished seventh after a troubled start.
Defending Champ, a gelding by Favorite Cartel, was second by a head in the $235,500 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos in March. Defending Champ has won 4 of 11 starts and earned $129,459.
In the evening’s top race for older horses, the 8-year-old gelding Cattail Cove won for the 13th time in his 56th start in the $75,000 Spencer Childers Handicap at 400 yards.
Ridden by Arriaga for trainer Juan Aleman and owner Link Newcomb, Cattail Cove ($2.60) led throughout to win by a half-length over 9-2 Boardwalk in a field of five. Cattail Cove was timed in 19.91 seconds.
The Childers Handicap, named in honor of the late owner and breeder, was Cattail Cove’s fifth win in his last six starts since late December. Cattail Cove has earned $820,295.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.