Los Alamitos Notebook : Cash Rate Is the Season’s First Three-Time Stakes Winner : Dash For Cash Gelding Does It in Track-Record Time in Saturday Night’s Double Bid Handicap

Cash Rate became the season’s first three-time stakes winner Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course, equaling the track record for 350 yards, the most commonly run distance at the Cypress track.

With jockey James Lackey in the saddle, the gelded son of Dash For Cash had little trouble in the six-horse field of Saturday’s $37,225 Double Bid Handicap. In front of a season-high crowd of 17,508, Cash Rate took the lead 100 yards from the finish to win by 1 lengths in a time of 17.47 seconds.

Only mares Prissy Gold Digger in 1978 and Lady Juno in 1980 have run the distance as fast.

Lackey, who only recently returned to riding after suffering a fracture in his right leg, did not go to the whip to push the 5-year-old gelding. Cash Rate was the odds-on favorite in the Double Bid--and with good reason. He had won the Kaweah Bar and Shue Fly Handicaps in May, and ran second in the 300-yard Clabbertown G.

And, in perhaps his best effort of all, the Blane Schvaneveldt-trained Cash Rate ran second in June’s Go Man Go Handicap behind 1984 world champion Dashs Dream, who has won 10 straight races.

Sunset John finished second Saturday, but was disqualified and placed last for interference out of the gate, which eliminated Chauns Bayou and Barjos Buttercup at the start. Longshot Vandys Policy, which finished two lengths behind Cash Rate, was moved to second while Skylarkin advanced to third. Two-time defending Double Bid champion, the Black Alliance, finished fifth and was moved to fourth.

A rematch is shaping up for this Saturday’s $117,000 Dash For Cash Derby as fillies Artesia and Sixy Chick posted two of the three fastest qualifying times in Wednesday’s trials.

Artesia, the probable favorite, won her 440-yard heat to the Grade I feature in 21.83 seconds. Although she won by only a nose, trainer Russell Harris was encouraged.

“Artesia ran just the way we wanted her to,” he said. “Our goal was just to get a spot in the Derby without abusing her or running her too hard. But she ran easily and won.”

Harris, who will be sending his black mare against last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, Sixy Chick, hopes for a repeat of the June 7 Lassie Handicap, which saw Artesia upset Sixy Chick.

“Both Sixy Chick and Artesia ran nice races (in the trials),” Harris said. “It (the Derby) should come down to a battle between the two of them.”

Harris also qualified Calyx and Wrangler Sam to the Derby. Harris took over training Calyx from Reed Hadley only two days before the trials.

Sixy Chick coasted to an easy half-length victory in her trial in 21.92 seconds with Jerry Nicodemus aboard. It was her first victory since the Los Alamitos Derby trials.

Sixy Chick has won eight of 11 starts. The $44,460 winners’ share of the Dash For Cash Derby purse would push her career earnings to more than $685,000.

Although many are referring to the Derby as a two-horse race, the Schvaneveldt-trained Dash In Style will figure as a contender. This Dash For Cash colt raced in rather humble surroundings--the Arizona fair circuit--before coming West under Schvaneveldt’s care. Dash In Style posted the second-fastest qualifying time with a 21.84 mark.

Other qualifiers and their times include Mind Game (21.97), Calyx (21.98), Return A Legend (22.01), Julies A Lady (22.01), Wrangler Sam (22.02), $8,350 supplemental nominee Drippin Chocolate (22.06), and Solid Glass (22.14).

A second-place finish in the Derby is worth $16,380 and third is $8,190. The 10th-place finisher in the final will receive $3,510. The Dash For Cash Derby Consolation will also be contested Saturday night.

Los Alamitos Notes Dashs Dream has been nominated to the $35,000-added Charger Bar Handicap to be run Friday at Los Alamitos. The mare won the initial running of the Charger Bar last year on her way to world championship honors. Trainer Mike Robbins has not committed Dashs Dream to run, but will wait and see what weight his mare receives. The weights will be announced today. . . . The palomino gelding Gold Coast Express, trained by Lee Gladd, blazed to a 17.63 clocking in winning a June 22 allowance race for 2-year-olds, equaling the fastest time by a juvenile this season. Gold Coast Express’ time puts him in contention for the Dash For Cash Futurity. Gold Coast Express proved to be in fine condition after more than a two-month layoff. His previous start had been the Bay Meadows Futurity in April. Dolunio, trained by James McArthur, also clocked a 17.63 to win the June 15 Kindergarten Consolation. . . . The largest pari-mutuel win of the season occurred June 22 when Swing Pass was moved to first on a disqualification and returned $156.60 to win. The disqualified horse, Pack Your Lunch, was ridden by Danny Cardoza, who bounced back from his disqualification to win the next two races. . . . Indigo Illusion, with her victory in the Vessels Maturity, joins Dashs Dream, Rise N High, Miss Jordash, Eastex and Cash Rate as invitees to December’s prestigious Champion of Champions. The July 4 Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs N.M., which will include Los Alamitos Derby winner Prissy Fein, is the next race to offer an invite in the Champion of Champions. . . . A rare double disqualification occurred in Tuesday’s second race. The original winner, Ike The Vike, was placed sixth, which enabled the third-place finisher, Sea Comb, to move to second. However, Sea Comb was also blamed for some race interference and was set back to third--his original position. The official winner was second-place finisher Azure Didit. The fourth horse, Real Easy Rebel, was placed second.