LOS ALAMITOS : Pies Royal Request Joins the Elite

Pies Royal Request has added his name to the growing list of outstanding aged geldings at Los Alamitos with his victory Saturday night in the $69,000 Breeders Championship Classic.

Earlier in the year, Avison was alone as the top older gelding at Los Alamitos. Since then, several horses have emerged to challenge him, including Seals, Refrigerator, My Debut and now Pies Royal Request.

Ridden by Eddie Garcia, Pies Royal Request broke on the lead in the Grade I Breeders Championship Classic, battled to the wire and finished a neck in front of Mongoose Effort. The winning time for the 400 yards was a quick 19.80 seconds.

Pies Royal Request defeated a tough field in the Breeders Championship Classic that included favored IB Quick, a multiple stakes winner who finished fourth, and probable Champion of Champions starter Meter Me Gone, who finished third.

“I have to say he’s just getting better,” trainer Connie Hall said. “These are tough horses here, and he seems to be adjusting quite nicely.”

Earning his way into the Champion of Champions appears to be the next step for Pies Royal Request, who earned his 22nd victory from 31 lifetime starts in the Championship Classic. Hall said Pies Royal Request will start next in the Nov. 25 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors trials for the Champion of Champions.

“He’s genuine,” Hall said. “He just wants to run and wants to win. He’s just a tough horse. He’s sound, and he stands in the gates and looks down the track. There’s not a lot of horses like that.”

Owned by Howard and Wanda Lanus of Gilbert, Ariz., Pies Royal Request was on a 14-race winning streak through 1994 and early ’95 that left him tied with Josie’s Bar and Destiny Drummer for the most consecutive victories by a quarter horse.

The Lanuses have been breeding racehorses commercially for 20 years but started racing their own horses in the past few years.

Said Howard Lanus: “We figured we’d just gamble a little and have some fun. It’s a lot of fun to win.”

Los Alamitos Notes

Dutch Masters III’s Reckless Roula earned his first stakes victory in the $32,500 Juvenile Classic, covering the 400 yards in 19.90 seconds. Reckless Roula, trained by Jaime Gomez, previously finished second to All American winner Winalota Cash in the prestigious Texas Classic Futurity. . . . 1994 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship winner Brotherly was impressive in his 870-yard debut, winning the Marathon Classic by 1 1/2 lengths and defeating top distance runners Speedy Lunch and Miami Prince.

The Money Crunch earned her third stakes victory of the season in the $27,870 Distaff Classic, winning by 1 1/4 lengths. The 4-year-old mare was ridden by Joe Badilla Jr. for owner Margaret Leard. . . . Two divisions of the Sophomore Classic were held, with Hi Tech Attack capturing the first division for colts and geldings by a half-length and Ronas Sound winning the fillies race by a length. . . . Two divisions of the Freshman Classic were also contested Saturday night. No Pet Peeves and SLC Macho dead-heated for the victory in the first race, and Dashing Millie gave trainer Kenny Chapman his first stakes victory of the meet in the second division.

Owner Edward Allred had quite a weekend at Los Alamitos, winning the $22,164 Breeders Classics Futurity with Free Thinker and the $54,500 Star of Star Appaloosa Futurity with Truehood. Allred is looking forward to another stakes victory this weekend as his Keeps is the fastest qualifier for the $200,000-estimated Golden State Futurity on Friday night. . . . Owner Bill Thompson, better known for owning leading older horse Avison, earned a stakes victory with another member of his stable as Easy Rollin Ryon won the $22,025 Breeders Classics Derby by a nose over Perfectly.