Los Alamitos Futurity : Raise A Secret Increases Schvaneveldt Win Total to 102

Raise A Secret, ridden by Kenneth Hart, won the $669,774 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course in front of 13,669.

To no one’s surprise, Raise A Secret, the fastest qualifier for the futurity, led the entire race, beating second-place Ima Merridoc by a length. Raise A Secret covered the 440 yards in a time of 21.70. The colt is the first male horse to win the third leg of the Los Alamitos Triple Crown.

The win was worth $295,260 to owner C.R. Socolofsky. Raise A Secret has now earned $674,835.

Raise A Secret returned $4.20, 3.00 and 3.00. Ima Merridoc returned $9.60 and 6.60. Third-place Easy Grant returned $11.60.

It was the second consecutive Los Alamitos Futurity win for trainer Blane Schvaneveldt, who, for the sixth consecutive season, has notched 100 wins.

In the 34-year history of Los Alamitos, no other trainer has won 100 races in a season.

He got win No. 100 Thursday, when Grave Yard Shift won the seventh race. Schvaneveldt entered Saturday night with 101 wins, and has the course record for wins in a season with 124 in 1983.

But getting Schvaneveldt to talk about his success is about as easy as getting one of his prized equines to talk about an upcoming race.

Schvaneveldt did smile broadly Tuesday, though, when he was reminded of his inevitable 100th win.

“Sure does feel good,” he said. “When you start out, you never think you’ll be able to win that many.”

One of 12 children, Schvaneveldt learned about horses working on his father’s ranch in Westin, Ida. Though he will win the training title for the 10th consecutive season, and holds huge leads for career wins and stakes wins, there is never heard a discouraging word from his rival trainer when it comes to Blane.

“He worked for everything he’s got,” trainer Caesar Dominguez said. “He’s paid his dues, and now he’s reaping his reward. I just hope one day I can have some of the success he’s had.”

But success hasn’t changed Schvaneveldt, who still makes his way from stable to winner’s circle with all the enthusiasm of Clydesdale. He awaits the outcome of a race usually leaning against something, with a slight smile, smoking a cigar.

“He’s the best,” trainer H.L. Hooper said. “But he never holds what he’s done or what he’s got over anyone’s head.”

Schvaneveldt’s smile never lets on what he’s got. Before the Dash For Cash Futurity July 13, he discounted claims that he had the best horse in Raise A Secret.

“He’s been coming along good, but I don’t know if he’s ready to win a big one,” he said.

Raise A Secret promptly went out and won Schvaneveldt his first Dash For Cash Futurity.

The Dash For Cash Futurity win came as no surprise to trainer C.W. Cascio. Smile or no smile, Cascio knows one of the worst kept secrets around.

“I’d never count a Blane Schvaneveldt horse out of a race,” Cascio said. “Anytime he enters a horse in a race, you have to figure it has a good chance to win.”

Quarter Horse Notes

Fly Big Jay with James Lackey aboard won the Los Alamitos Futurity Consolation race. The 2-year old gelding covered the 440 yards in 21.95, and easily defeated second place Hot Wave by a 1 lengths. Fly Big Jay, trained by Bob Gilbert, returned $9, 4 and 3.40. Hot Wave returned $3.80 and 3. Third place Jets Beduino Again returned $3.80. . . . Three-year old filly Prissy Fein, a leading candidate for the world championship, will race against older horses for the first time when she runs in the Los Alamitos Championship, Wednesday, the course’s closing night. Prissy Fein will go against the likes of 4-year old Indigo Illusion and 5-year old gelding Cash Rate. . . . Prissy Fein’s main competition for the world championship, Dashs Dream, won her 11th straight race at Ruidoso Downs Saturday with a 21.04 qualifying time in the trials of the All-American Gold Cup. Depending on the Gold Cup purse, Dashs Dream, with earnings of $943,000, may become the ninth quarter horse to go over $1 million in earnings. . . . The Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Assn. annual yearling sale will take place today at 11 o’clock. The sale pavilion is located in the Los Alamitos stable area.