Será corrido no último páreo de domingo em Los Alamitos, o VESSELS MATURITY – Grupo 1.

O Campeão Mundial EMPRESSUM, tenta a terceira vitória consecutiva neste Grande Prêmio.

Será em 400 jardas ou 365 metros, para cavalos de 4 ou mais anos. EDBERG VERDE defendendo as cores do Brasil, tem só 3 anos ainda, mas como nasceu na temporada brasileira leva 6 meses de desvantagem na competição, para os outros de 4 anos.

MESSI, CRISTIANO RONALDO, NEYMAR. Sabe a sensação de jogar bola com eles? É assim que estamos nos sentindo participando do VESSELS MATURITY neste fim de semana com o “CAÇULA” do Grande Prêmio, nosso querido EDBERG VERDE.
EMPRESSUM – CAMPEÃO MUNDIAL AQHA está confirmado e tentará ser o segundo cavalo a ganhar três vezes o Vessels Maturity – Grupo 1.
EMPRESSUM ganhou o CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS, venceu os dois últimos Vessels Maturity, uma delas com a impressionante marca de 19,32.
Ele tem 22 vitórias em 30 apresentações e U$ 2.020.623. Filho de Apollitical Jess.
Este é o nível do VESSELS MATURITY que nosso EDBERG VERDE vai participar, como o mais “novinho” da tropa.

Aqui os competidores do VESSELS MATURITY 2024, lembrando que o ganhador recebe um convite para para ticipar do CHAMPION OF CHAMPION em dezembro.

• 1 – DONT SASS KVN = Kvn Corona – Sassy On Fire, by Walk Thru Fire;
• 2 – TERRIFIC FENIX = Fly Thru the Fire – Terrific Energy, by Mr Jess Perry;
• 3 – JESS BEING A FRIEND = Jess Being Valiant – Six Zeroes, by Walk Thru Fire;
• 4 – EDBERG VERDE = No Secrets Here – Roxy Vista Br, by Fishers Dash;
• 5 – NORMANDY = A Revenant – Ms Casholene , by Agouti;
• 6 – LAWLESS WALLACE = Tres Seis – Elicity , by Apollitical Jess;
•  7 – LONDON TOBY = Favorite Cartel – London Laura, by Walk Thru Fire;
• 8 – EMPRESSUM = Apollitical Jess – Crazy Down Corona, by First Down Dash;
• 9 – JERIKO = One Famous Eagle – Signs Zoomer, by Shazoom;
• 10 – DON LAZARO = Favorite Cartel – Secretly Hot, by Walk Thru Fire;

Steve Holt and Jeff Jones’ Empressum, the 2022 AQHA World Champion, will look to become only the second horse in history to win three runnings of the Grade 1 Vessels Maturity when he heads the field in the 400-yard final on Sunday, July 7 at Los Alamitos.                                                                     

Empressum, winner of the 2022 Champion of Champions, has won the last two runnings of the $150,000 Vessels Maturity, including an amazing victory when going in :19.32 on the way to victory two years ago. The great A Ransom, the 2020 AQHA World Champion, is the only three-time Vessels winner when finishing first in 2000 to 2002.                                        

    Heath Taylor trains Empressum (left), the winner of 22 races from 30 starts and $2,020,623 earner. The son of Apollitical Jess has won  nine of 13 starts at Los Alamitos. His last local start was a second-place finish in the 2023 Champion of Champions. His most recent career outing was a second-place finish to last year’s Champion of Champions winner Flash Bak in The Championship at Sunland Park. Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo will ride Empressum from post eight.

Ed Allred’s London Toby is the horse of the older horse of the moment at Los Alamitos right now. The son of Favorite Cartel was terrific when winning the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February and was just as good when winning the Be A Bono Stakes on June 16. In the Be A Bono, the Scott Willoughby-trainee defeated several horses that are returning for the Vessels Maturity including Terrific Phoenix, Dont Sass KVN, Edberg Verde, and Normandy. London Toby did not finish ahead of Empressum in any of their four encounters last year, but this is the best form the California-bred has carried going into a meeting with the 2022 World Champion. Gabriel Lara will pilot the 6-year-old from post seven.

Bobby Cox’s Jeriko, the winner of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby last year, is another top contender in this race. The Texas-bred son of One Famous Eagle finished fourth in last year’s Champion of Champions thanks to a terrific finish, but then had a poor start on the way to finishing sixth as the favorite in the Winter Championship. Jose Nicasio will ride the Heath Taylor-trainee from post nine.

Brazilian star Edberg Verde leads the rest of the field that will also feature local states winners Terrific Phoenix, Jess Being A Friend, and Lawless Wallace plus Don Lazaro, Normandy and Dont Sass KVN.

The field will also feature the running of the $30,000 Independence Day Handicap at 300 yards. Holt and Jones’ Hes Judgeandjury, the winner of the 2022 All American Futurity, will head this talented eight-horse field. He’s approaching $2 million in career earnings and a victory in this race would leave him less $10,000 away from reaching the milestone. The field will also feature Cattail Cove, last year’s Independence Day Handicap winner, plus El Primero winner Hes Chickless, 2021 Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap winner You Can Run, and four other standouts. 

Retirado do site de LOS ALAMITOS