Ourautograph Takes Kindergarten Futurity

Ourautograph upset pre-race favorites Strawfly Special and Proper Predicate in the $329,000 Kindergarten Futurity Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.

A crowd of 5,100 watched the 2-year-old gelding, which qualified third and went off at 3-to-1 odds, move to the inside and hold off a late charge by second-place finisher Way Maker.

Ourautograph covered the 350 yards in 17.55 seconds, breaking the Kindergarten record of 17.58 set in 1983 by Tolltac.

Ourautograph, ridden by Kip Didericksen, earned $121,000 for the victory in the top quarter-horse race for 2-year-olds. Way Maker made $44,660 and third-place finisher Teller Cash, a 20-to-1 longshot, earned $23,925.

“He didn’t break well,” Didericksen said of Ourautograph. “I couldn’t get him to stand up in the gate. Once we got past Teller Cash (in the first 100 yards), I thought we had it.”

Ourautograph returned $10.60, $6.60 and $5.80. Way Maker paid $18.80 and $14.60 and Teller Cash, the sister of last year’s Kindergarten winner, Teller Queen, returned $17.

The victory was the sixth in seven starts for Ourautograph, trained by Bob Baffert.

“Boy, did he pour it on,” Baffert said.

Strawfly Special and Proper Predicate, who were 7-to-5 favorites entering the race, finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Strawfly Special broke poorly and was never a factor. Proper Predicate had won her past two starts, both in the past 16 days.

Trainer Marshall Ferrell said he feared Proper Predicate wouldn’t be ready for the Kindergarten Futurity.

“She may not be that fit,” he said before the race. “But she deserves a shot.”

In the fifth race feature, Easy Skywalker, with Bruce Pilkenton on board, stayed on the inside to edge Vandy’s Policy and pre-race favorite Murgie’s Kip.

Easy Skywalker, trained by Hans Visscher, returned $4.80, $3.60 and $2.60. Vandy’s Policy paid $9.40 and $4.80 and Murgie’s Kip returned $2.60.