Horse Racing : LOS ALAMITOS : Free Thinker Focuses on Big Money Tonight
Free Thinker, the fastest qualifier, will be trying to repeat his impressive trial performance and earn the winner’s check of $412,000 in the feature of tonight’s 15-race card at Los Alamitos, the first running of the $1,050,000 Los Alamitos Million for 2-year-old quarter horses.
Free Thinker, owned by Edward Allred and ridden by G.R. Carter, won by 2 3/4 lengths in the ninth and final trial on Dec. 1, with a time of 19.80 seconds.
“I think that’s as good as he can run,” said Free Thinker’s trainer, Bruce Hawkinson. “If he improves much off of that, he’ll be a flying machine. He’ll be airborne.”
Ten 2-year-olds will run in the Million, quarter horse racing’s second-richest race and the richest ever at Los Alamitos. Racing besides Free Thinker will be Sky Chicks, Temerity, Wrangler, Evening Snow, Chickawilla, Brisco County Jr, Drone, Take Odds, Mega Storm and Million Dollar Down. The Million is the 12th race on tonight’s card. First post is 5:15 p.m.
In Sunday night’s meeting-closing program, the feature is the $250,000 Champion of Champions, the nation’s premiere event for older horses, and leading trainer Blane Schvaneveldt will be trying to win it for a record ninth time.
Schvaneveldt has four starters--Refrigerator, who will be shooting for a record fourth consecutive victory; My Debut, Seals and Ronas Sound. Also entered are Avison, Do Ya Disco, Higher Goals, Meter Me Gone, Pies Royal Request and Special Phoebe.
Post time Sunday is 5 p.m., and the Champion of Champions will be the 12th race on the 15-race program.
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