Platki and Kvn Corona Impress With Top Times In Ed Burke Million Trials At Los Alamitos
StallionESearch – LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JUNE 5, 2017—Nearly 50 years ago, trainer C.R. ” Chay” Knight saddled the AQHA Hall of Fame racehorse Kaweah Bar to victory in the 1968 running of the $30,240 Ed Burke Million Futurity.
Fast forward to 2017 and Knight’s son, the well-known Thoroughbred trainer Terry Knight, will look to win the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity after sending Legacy Ranch’s Corona Cartel colt Platki to a ¾ length victory and the fastest qualifying in the seventh of 12 trials to the million-dollar race on Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course.
A total of 99 horses competed in the 350 yard trials with the Legacy Ranch-bred Platki posting the top clocking of :17.647. A full-brother to 2010 AQHA champion 2-year-old filly Flying Fig, Platki was second at the break, but quickly took a daylight lead before cruising to the wire under the guidance of jockey Jesus Rios Ayala.
Out of the Strawfly Special mare Tender Flyer, Platki improved his career record to a perfect two for two and will now be one of the favorites in the Ed Burke Million final to be held on evening of Father’s Day on Sunday, June 18 at Los Alamitos.
Terry Knight remembers watching his dad train the great Kaweah Bar. In his youth, Knight would ride his bicycle to the track and would watch his dad’s horses race from behind a parking lot fence. Knight has saddled over 900 winners in a successful training career that included winning the Grade 1 Hollywood Turf Club Stakes with Frenchpark in 1994 and the Grade 2 Matchmaker Stakes at Atlantic City with Magdelaine in 1988.
In addition to his Quarter Horse stakes wins with the “Palomino Express” Kaweah Bar, Chay Knight also enjoyed many great wins with Thoroughbreds, including taking the 1981 Santa Anita Derby with Splendid Spruce.
Keith Nellesen of Mapleton, Utah campaigns the second fastest qualifier, KVN Corona. Also sired by Corona Cartel, which gives the legendary stallion the two top qualifiers to this year’s Ed Burke Million, KVN Corona won the sixth trial by a half-length while covering the distance in :17.657. Ridden by Ramon Sanchez for trainer Paul Jones, the McColee Land & Livestock-bred KVN Corona also improved his record to two victories in as many starts.
Owner Steve Mickaelian first became involved in horse racing in the mnid-1990s. In 1998, the owner won the AQHA California Claiming Stakes with Mr Clean Jeans. The Signature gelding would then travel to Lone Star Park to win the $50,000 Professional’s Choice Claiming Stakes Challenge. “I thought this game was so easy,” Mickaelian said. “It was only my second year in racing, I just figured that this would be so easy. Let me tell you nothing is ever easy in racing, but it’s worth it.”
© Los Alamitos Race Course
Mickaelian and Jose Flores’ Apollitical Stone (2016 Winter Mixed Sale Graduate) made it look easy in the 11th trial of the night, as the Apollitical Jess gelding out of La Fantacia Stone covered the distance in :17.705 while posting a half-length victory to qualify with the third fastest time.
“I’m very happy,” Mickaelian said. “I knew he could do it and he pulled it through. Jose offered me a half interest on this horse and I bought in. This horse has shown a lot of potential and really trained well since his first start, a second. He schooled in the gate and did beautifully and I thought that if he didn’t bump and didn’t get bumped that he would be right there.
“Apollitical Stone is my first Grade 1 finalist,” the owner added. “I’ve been in this sport for about 21 years. I got into it for my dad. He had been sick. I’ve done a little breeding and just love the horses. I’ve enjoyed Los Al and looking forward to many more good times.”
Cruz Mendez piloted the JEH Stallion Station Oklahoma-bred Apollitical Stone.
© Scott Martinez
JGA Racing Stables’ Sumokinintheboysroom (2016 Yearling Sale Graduate), a gelding by Pyc Paint Your Wagon out of Sumokin, posted the fourth fastest time of :17.713 following his convincing 1-1/4th length victory in the second trial. Bred in Arkansas by Corner K Quarter Horses LLC, Sumokinintheboysroom came into this race after being fractious prior to the start of his debut, in which he ended up running third.
“This horse has always shown ability and even in that race he was fractious in the gate, broke bad, stumbled, but came around horses and closed fast,” trainer Juan Aleman said. “I knew that if I could straighten him out in the gate that we would have something. We put him in flipping halter and he behaved, broke good and finished strong. He looks like a promising horse and he’s paid into other nice futurities in the future.”
Martin Arriaga rode the gray gelding.
Ten different trainers qualified horses to the Ed Burke Million final on June 18. The trainers are Terry Knight, Paul Jones, Jose Flores, Juan Aleman, Dennis Givens, Chris O’Dell, Mike Casselman, Valentin Zamudio, Mike Robbins and Jaime Gomez.
For the complete list of qualifiers to the Ed Burke Million final including times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.