Scott Martinez photo / story by Ty Wyant

Last To Fire Fastest, Separate Fire Alive For Bonus

Cypress, CA - Oct. 16, 2011 - Last To Fire narrowly established the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 1, $1,218,400 Golden State Million, however the attention fell to Separate Fire during the full card of 10 trials on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

Tremor Enterprises’ Separate Fire remained alive to become the first horse to earn the $1,000,000 Los Alamitos Cash Bonanza by winning the ninth trial with the ninth-fastest qualifying time of :19.902 for the 400 yards. The Paul Jones-trained filly was coming back from a layoff since taking the Ed Burke Million on June 26, the victory that made her the only horse to contend for the Los Alamitos Cash Bonanza.

If the Walk Thru Fire filly can take the Golden State Million and the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity then her connections pocket the $1,000,000 bonus.

Separate Fire got the job done in her trial. She sprinted to a commanding early lead under jockey Ramon Sanchez and then held on to win by three quarters of a length in her first start in more than three months.

“It’s nerve wracking when you have a horse this good,” said nine-time champion trainer Jones. “She was coming back to race after a long layoff and you never know how a horse will comeback after time off. She ran a fantastic race. It was a monster effort and there was no tailwind to help her out. She just kept ongoing and I’m pleased that she made the Golden State Million final.”

Separate Fire, quarter horseracing’s second ranked juvenile, is a two-time Grade 1 winner with a one-half length score in the Kindergarten to go with her neck win in the Ed Burke Million. She has now earned $607,282 with five wins from six outs.

Tremor Enterprises has another dangerous horse in the Golden State Million after Fly First Down won the first trial by one-and-one-quarter lengths with the fifth-fastest qualifying time of:19.850 for trainer Jose Antonio Flores.

The $300,000 yearling purchase at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale was the fastest qualifier to this year’s Grade1, $500,000 Ruidoso Futurity and was the 7-10 favorite in the 350 yard futurity before finishing a troubled seventh.

The top-two qualifiers came out of the fifth trial when Last To Fire and Jess Lips finished a nose apart with Last To Fire posting a :19.707 time and Jess Lips racing to a :19.714 clocking.

Jesus Avila and Jesus Cuevas’ Last To Fire won her maiden in her fourth start with the nose win as the 5-2 second choice. Here best previous effort for trainer Juan Aleman was a close second in a Los Alamitos maiden race back in May.

Samuel Valerino’s Jess Lips, trained by Jaime Gomez, is still a maiden after four starts and scored her third-straight runner-up finish in her Golden State Million trial. Her two previous second-place efforts came in a maiden race at Ruidoso Downs and as maiden race at Los Alamitos.

Billy Smith and Pat Guthrie’s Terrific Synergy, like Separate Fire, made his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Ed Burke Million and responded with the third-fastest time of:19.805 while winning his trial by one-half length as the 1-2 favorite. The gelded son of FDD Dynasty and Terrific Energy won his first two starts before the Ed Burke Futurity.

The qualifiers to the Golden State Million on October are: Last Fire (:19.707), Jess Lips(:19.714), Terrific Synergy (:19.805), Long Gone (:19.813), Fly First Down(:19.850), First Outburst (:19.861), Regardless (:19.877), Jess Sass Dash(:19.893) and Separate Fire (:19.902). The 10th spot will be decided via shake between Igotyourtac and Unobeter, who both clocked in at :19.916.