Freaky Chases Second World Title in Champion of Champions

The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 9, 2010 – Armando Aguirre’s Freaky, the unanimous No. 1-ranked American Quarter Horse in the AQHA Racing-Horseplayernow.com poll, races to enhance his prospects for a second-straight world championship when he heads the $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at Los Alamitos on Saturday night.

The Adan Farias-trained Freaky (TR Dasher-Chickasecret by Raise A Secret) won the 2009 Champion of Champions and was rewarded as the 2009 world champion, champion aged horse and champion aged gelding. He would be the prime contender to retain each of those titles with a win in the 440-yard Champion of Champions.

If Freaky is honored as the 2010 world champion, he would be the first back-to-back world champion since SLM Big Daddy earned the 1997 and 1998 world titles.

The 2010 champions will be announced in mid-January.

Freaky has dominated Quarter Horse racing since early 2009 with nine wins and one second-place finish from 10 starts in 2009-10. During this period, the gelding has raced to six Grade 1 wins and was the odds-on favorite in each of those Grade 1 victories.

Freaky’s sole defeat was his second-place finish behind A Tempting Dash in the Go Man Go Handicap (G1) in September. Freaky was coming off a seven-month layoff, and that setback caused him to lose his No. 1 ranking. However, he quickly regained the top spot after his next start when he overcame trouble to dominate the $150,000 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Championship (G1) by three quarters of a length in a superb :20.979 for the 440 yards.

A year ago, Freaky won the Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Championship and then won the Champion of Champions by three quarters of a length with a :21.060 time.

Rancho El Carbresto’s Apollitical Jess (Mr Jess Perry-Apollitical Time by Apollo (TB)) steps up from the Grade 1 derby division to challenge Freaky. The Juan Aleman-trained colt has won five of his seven 2010 starts and comes off his career-best effort.

In the $1 million Los Alamitos Super Derby (G1) on November 6, Apollitical Jess humbled the deep lineup with a track-record win in :19.133 for 400 yards. The strapping son of two-time champion Apollitical Time gained the early lead and drew out to win by 1 1/2 lengths as the 3-10 favorite.

Apollitical Jess showed he would be a championship contender this summer at Ruidoso Downs. After a near-track-record allowance win at 350 yards, he won his All American Derby (G1) trial over Double Down Special with the fastest-qualifying time of :20.878 for the 440 yards. He was second in the All American Derby, a neck behind Double Down Special.

Deleyco Racing Team’s A Tempting Dash (First Down Dash-A Tempting Chick by Chicks Beduino) has done something in the past two racing seasons that no other horse has accomplished – defeated Freaky. The Jose Flores-trained gelding pulled off the upset in the Go Man Go Invitational (G1) when he beat Freaky by a half length when the world champion was making his first start off his layoff.

A Tempting Dash then capped a three-race winning streak and retained his fitness for the Champion of Champions with a half-length win in a 350-yard allowance race at Los Alamitos, covering the distance in :17.182.

Abigail Kawananakoa’s homebred Divide The Cash (Separatist-Time For Royal Cash by Dash For Cash) is another sophomore in sharp form. He was fourth in the Golden State Derby (G1) and was then second to Apollitical Jess in the Los Alamitos Super Derby.

Divide The Cash then earned his Champion of Champions invitation with a head win over Good Reason SA in their Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trial.

On June 11, Divide The Cash made his final start for hall of fame trainer Blane Schvaneveldt before the trainer of nine Champion Of Champions winners died in July. The colt set a Los Alamitos 350-yard track record of :17.061 while winning the Make It Anywhere Handicap. He is now trained by Schvaneveldt’s longtime assistant Rafael Orozco.

Gianni Samaja’s homebred Good Reason SA (Favorite Trick (TB)-Queen Of Appeals by First Down Dash) is yet another member of the strong 3-year-old contingent in the Champion of Champions. The Paul Jones-trained colt capped his juvenile season with a 23-1 upset win in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity (G1) and supported that effort with a Golden State Derby (G1) victory on August 28 as the 9-10 favorite. After a fall breather, he came back to finish a head behind Divide The Cash in their Directors Trial.

Feature Jess Rockin, Jess You And I and Spit Curl Diva each shipped to Los Alamitos for the Champion of Champions after competing in the Bank of America Challenge Championships at Fair Grounds on November 19.

The Reed Land and Cattle Company’s homebred Feature Jess Rockin (Feature Mr Jess-Meter Me Rockin by Meter Me Gone) was a 10-1 winner of the $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1) in a track record :21.262 for the 440 yards.

The Double Bar S Ranch’s Jess You And I (Feature Mr Jess-Gold Daze by Tolltac) returns to Los Alamitos for the Champion of Champions. The two-time champion gelding has won four Grade 1 races at Los Alamitos, including the 2008 Champion of Champions. He won this spring’s $250,000 Remington Park Championship (G1) and was fifth in the Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1).

Thomas Lepic’s Spit Curl Diva (Spit Curl Jess-Some Kinda Diva by Some Dasher) makes her Los Alamitos debut after winning eight of her latest nine starts. The Jody Brown-trained mare beat the boys, including all-time leading money earner Stolis Winner, in the $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap (G1) two starts ago and then defeated the girls in the $125,000 Merial Distaff Challenge Championship (G1) at 3-5 odds.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications: The American Quarter Horse Journal and America’s Horse.

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