Jones Looks for a Little Redemption

A year ago, Whosleavingwho was co-world champion and quarter-horse racing’s version of horse of the year, but that didn’t leave his trainer, Paul Jones, a contented man.

“My horse should have won the whole thing,” Jones said Wednesday as he recalled the dead-even runoff ballot between Whosleavingwho and Streakin Sin Tacha. “In the Champion of Champions, we beat the other horse by a block. It was all politics, and I got very upset about the way it turned out.”

Whosleavingwho, a 5-year-old gelding, will try to become that rare horse who wins the Champion of Champions twice when Los Alamitos runs its signature race Saturday night, and Jones likes to think that a second victory will lead to an outright title. But Whosleavingwho faces a tall order this time: He’s no better than 5-1 -- the third choice -- on the morning line, and must beat favored AB What A Runner, the 3-year-old filly who won the All American Futurity last year and beat males of her own generation last month when she won the Los Alamitos Derby.

“Every horse is the horse to beat in this race,” said Bret Vickery, the Utah trainer who cares for AB What A Runner. “We beat the boys in the Derby, but this is against the older boys, and that’s a big jump for any horse. But my filly can do it. She’s only average in size, but she’s got a heart the size of Texas.”

Starting Friday night, Los Alamitos will throw purse money around almost with the abandon of the Breeders’ Cup. The weekend begins with the $1,367,650 Los Alamitos Million Futurity, followed by the $500,000 Champion of Champions and finally Sunday’s $175,000 Marathon National.

While nine of the 10 horses entered will be aiming at the winner’s share of $545,860 in the Million, favored Hawkish has a chance to earn an extra $1 million. Hawkish, the 2-1 favorite according to linemaker Ed Burgart’s odds, is eligible for that healthy bonus after already winning the Kindergarten and Ed Burke Futurities at the Orange County track.

Jones, 38, who broke Blane Schvaneveldt’s purse record when his year’s total surpassed the $3.5-million mark on Nov. 14, trains about 100 horses at Los Alamitos, and he’s firing seven shots in the three stakes. Besides Whosleavingwho, Jones will run The Down Side in the Champion of Champions. His four Futurity hopefuls are Cash For Kas, A Regal Choice, Real Quik Dasher and Well I Never, and he’ll send out Available Credit in the Marathon.

Whosleavingwho, who was 9-2 when he won the Champion of Champions last year, has a chance to join four other horses on the stake’s honor roll. Dash For Cash won the race in 1976-77; Refrigerator prevailed in 1992-93-94; SLM Big Daddy was best in 1997-98; and Tailor Fit, while not winning in succession, won in 1999 and 2001.

Whosleavingwho won five of his first six starts this year, but in his last two races he has been fifth and 10th.

“When he was fifth,” Jones said, “he was hurt by a bad start. In the last race, he showed no fire at all. He was calm in the saddling paddock, and then he got tired in the race.”

A few days after that last-place finish in the Los Alamitos Championship, which was won by Catchmeinyourdreams, Jones removed Whosleavingwho from his bulging barn and sent him to the ranch for a rest.

“Physically, he was fine,” Jones said. “But we needed to change his attitude mentally to get him going again. He’s been at the ranch ever since, except for the two times we’ve worked him.”

With his regular jockey, Joe Badilla, aboard, Whosleavingwho worked 350 yards in 18.10 seconds on Nov. 5 and turned in a time of 18 flat on Nov. 28.

“I really liked that second workout,” Jones said. “He looks like he’s his old self again.”

Catchmeinyourdreams is 3-1 on the morning line for the Champion of Champions. AB What A Runner, who has won four of five this year and eight of nine overall, is 2-1. Besides Jones’ pair, the other starters are Panther Mountain, Zookie Street, Royaltime Classic, Buccaneer Beach, Takin On Spoon Man and Kates Driver.