Straight Up G Shines for Rome in King Glorious

Jungle Racing homebred Straight Up G  stepped up to stakes company in the $102,000 King Glorious Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos Race Course and cruised to victory over 9-5 favorite Finneus . The colt became the first black-type winner for freshman sire Straight Fire  , who was campaigned by Jim Rome's Jungle Racing and partners. 

"We own the mare (Gidget Girl) and we own a part of the sire. This is the most personal thing ever," Rome told TVG after the race. "Mizdirection  was the most surreal thing in my life, Shared Belief  was one of the greatest things ever, but this is so personal. This is so personal to have a homebred run in a stake and win, and to win like that, it feels incredible."

#4 Straight Up G closes out the meeting @LosAlRacing with a victory in the King Glorious Stakes! Hear reactions from winning Owner @JimRome who spoke with @CalebTVG following the race: pic.twitter.com/1JHBOGC7T4

— TVG (@TVG) December 13, 2021

Straight Up G came into the one-mile King Glorious, for Golden State Series-eligible California-bred or California-sired 2-year-olds, off a 5 1/4-length maiden win against state-breds Nov. 21 at Del Mar. He made every pole a winning one in that six-furlong maiden special weight, earning a 92 Equibase Speed Figure as he clocked the distance in 1:09.82.

"This horse has a lot of natural speed," trainer Richard Baltas said. "I left it up to (jockey Ricardo Gonzalez). I told him just break well and go from there. He's always worked really, really well. I trained his half sister Gidgetta . He's a good horse and he's got a good mind."

Gonzalez was back aboard Straight Up G Sunday. The 2-1 second choice, Straight Up G took the lead with Thirsty Always  and Moose Mitchell  in close pursuit. He ticked off fractions of :23.99 and :47.92 through a half-mile, at which point Finneus was still seventh of nine. 

Finneus advanced one spot as Straight Up G raced three-quarters in 1:12.30. He rallied five wide down the stretch under Umberto Rispoli but couldn't catch Straight Up G, who rolled to a 3 1/2-length score. The final time on the fast track was 1:36.88.

"He broke very sharp and when we got to the first turn he was moving his ears back and forth so I knew it was game over right there," Gonzalez said. "I knew it was going to be a stroll in the park."

Finneus, who one start earlier won the Golden State Juvenile Stakes at Del Mar by a half-length over Saturday's Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) victor Slow Down Andy , was second by 1 3/4 lengths over Fast Draw Munnings  in third. 

Straight Up G is out of the unraced Sky Mesa   mare Gidget Girl, also a Jungle Racing homebred. He was fourth on debut Oct. 9 at Santa Anita Park before his two wins and now has earnings of $105,660. He is the third foal and second winner out of his dam, whose latest foal is a weanling Fast Anna  colt, a full brother to winning Gidgetta. Gidget Girl was bred to Collected   for 2022.

Straight Fire is located at Legacy Ranch in California and will stand for an advertised fee of $5,000 in 2022.

Video: King Glorious S. (BT)

Winter Meet Comes to a Close

The King Glorious was the final race of the Los Alamitos Winter Thoroughbred Meet. All sources handle for the Winter meet was up 11% on a comparative basis over 2019, which was also a seven-day season.

Handle at California satellite locations declined 23%, but advance deposit wagering in Southern California increased 61%.

"We're pleased with how things went for the days we raced, but disappointed we aren't able to run next week," said F. Jack Liebau, vice president of the Los Alamitos Racing Association.

At the close of the meet, Baffert topped the trainer standings with five victories, one more than Lorenzo Ruiz. It was the 13th meet he has either led or shared the title since daytime Thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in 2014.

Baffert had the most wins (13) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 25-July 5) and the Los Angeles County Fair season (Sept. 10-26). Peter Miller and Steve Miyadi tied for second with 11.

A closing day triple enabled Abel Cedillo to win the jockey title, his second in a row locally after taking the Los Angeles County Fair meet. The 32-year-old native of Guatemala finished with nine wins, three more than Tyler Baze, Kyle Frey, and apprentices Ricardo Ramirez and Diego Herrera.

For the year at Los Alamitos, Cedillo totaled 35 wins, 14 more than the closest pursuer Juan Hernandez. Frey and Herrera shared third with 16.

The Winter meet leading owner was Nicholas Alexander with three wins. 

Daytime Thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2022. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin June 24 and continue through July 10.