Pineda, Vazquez Take Los Alamitos Winter Meet Titles

A 10-1 upset by Practical Move  in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) and a sixth consecutive win in the Starlet Stakes (G1) for trainer Bob Baffert were among the highlights of the six-day Winter Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos Race Course, which concluded Dec. 18.

A son of Practical Joke   and the Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty owned by Pierre Jean Amestoy, Leslie Amestoy, and Roger Beasley and trained by Tim Yakteen, Practical Move took on a powerful trio from the Baffert stable—headed by prohibitive favorite Arabian Lion —and dominated, winning the Dec. 17 Futurity by 3 1/4 lengths under jockey Ramon Vazquez.

A week earlier in the Starlet, heavily-favored Faiza  won for the second time in as many starts, gamely prevailing over 12-1 outsider Pride of the Nile  by a head after a stretch-long battle. The win continued a streak for Baffert that has seen him win the prestigious race for 2-year-old fillies six of the nine years it has been offered at Los Alamitos.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Vazquez and teamed to take the Soviet Problem Stakes with owner George Krikorian's homebred Cast Member , who is now 3-for-3 while 3-5 favorite Giver Not a Taker  defeated 47-1 shot Crypto Ride  by a head to win the King Glorious Stakes for owner-breeders Kirk and Judy Robison and trainer Peter Miller.

Milton Pineda topped the trainer standings with five victories, two more than Baffert, Leandro Mora, and Peter Miller. It was the first training crown for the 38-year-old Pineda.

Pineda, Baffert, and Miller had the most wins (10) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the Winter meet with the September (Sept. 16-25) and Los Angeles County Fair seasons (June 25-July 9).

Vazquez won the riding title, completing a sweep of the three meets. He finished the Winter with 10 wins, four more than Juan Hernandez and apprentice Armando Aguilar.

A 38-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Vazquez finished 2022 at Los Alamitos with 35 wins, 20 more than runner-up Hernandez. Kyle Frey was third with 13 victories.

Field size for the 2022 Winter meet increased over last year. The average field size was 7.37 starters per race compared to 6.77 in 2021.

Daytime thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2023. The first of three meets is scheduled to begin Friday, June 23 and continue through Sunday, July 9.