Racing at Los Alamitos : Florentine Starts Slowly, Recovers to Win Breeders

At the start, trainer Russell Harris said that his “heart was in his throat,” and owner Ginger Hyland hoped that it was somebody else’s horse.

But the stumbler was indeed Florentine, the 6-5 second choice in the $129,500 Breeders Quarter Horse Championship Classic Friday night at Los Alamitos.

Despite the scare, Florentine recovered nicely and beat Meddlin Dash by a length to move one race closer to the world championship, which is the breed’s equivalent to horse of the year.

Dash for Speed, the New Mexico horse who hadn’t lost in 6 starts this year and has only 3 defeats in 13 races overall, also broke awkwardly. Favored at 4-5 by the crowd of 5,553, Dash for Speed was nosed out of second place by Meddlin Dash and finished a head in front of Strickly Wicked, a stablemate of Meddlin Dash.

Kenny Hart rode Florentine to the 4-year-old mare’s fifth victory in six starts this year.

“She was standing all right in the gate,” Hart said. “But then when the stall opened, the ground didn’t hold underneath us. She stumbled, but then she came up running, and we were all right.”

Steve Fuller, who rode Dash for Speed, said: “She didn’t get away sharp. I had hoped to make the lead by the time we got to the gap (after 220 yards in the 440-yard race).”

There will likely be a rematch between Florentine and Dash for Speed in the Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos Nov. 19. If Dash for Speed wins, it would be difficult for the voters to determine the world champion.

“My mare came up after stumbling and then she just grounded it out,” Harris said of Florentine. “She just had too much class.”

Florentine, timed in 21.60 seconds, earned $52,520.

Hart won the next race on the seven-race program, riding Especially Angelic, a 5-1 shot, to a head victory over favored Rambac.

Sail On Super took the fourth race, the Sophomore, going off at 5-1 and nosing out Shawne Music Man at the wire. Easygo Effort, the even-money favorite, finished third.