LOS ALAMITOS : They Knocked His Knees, but Colt Has Proved Critics Wrong So Far

The 2-year-old colt Takin On The Cash will take the next step on what has been a very rich journey tonight in the trials for the $300,000 Dash For Cash Futurity.

Owned by Felipe Tiscareno and trained by Caesar Dominguez, Takin On The Cash has emerged as the dominant 2-year-old on the West Coast after winning the Grade I Bay Meadows Futurity and the Grade I Kindergarten and nearly $185,000.

The 10 fastest qualifiers from tonight’s trials will earn a spot in the Dash For Cash Futurity finals June 30.

Takin On The Cash was purchased by Tiscareno for $52,000 as a yearling. It was Dominguez who picked out Takin On The Cash at the Ruidoso Super Select Sale despite the colt’s knees, which might have scared off a few potential bidders.

“This colt is buck-kneed,” Dominguez said. ‘His knees are just a bit crooked. I was thinking we may have to go up to $100,000 to buy him, but when I saw his knees, I knew we could get him for less. That made me want him even more.’

The worry with many trainers with buck-kneed horses, especially young horses, is keeping them sound during the rigors of a 2-year-old racing campaign.

Dominguez, however, did not share those worries about Takin On The Cash.

“When I first started out training all I had was cheap horses and when you have cheap horses, you have bad-legged horses,” said Dominguez, who is in a close race with Blane Schvaneveldt for the Los Alamitos summer training title.

“I had plenty of buck-kneed horses and they always seemed to stay sound. I’ve had perfect looking horses who couldn’t run a jump. You can’t go looking for the perfect horse, they just aren’t there.”

Takin On The Cash has drawn the inside post position in tonight’s second division of the Dash For Cash Futurity trials. This second of three trials has come up easily the toughest of the night with Kindergarten third-place finisher Miss Strikin Jet joining Takin On The Cash in the 400-yard race.

A winner of the Leo Handicap earlier this summer, Miss Strikin Jet was supplemented late into the Dash For Cash trials at a cost of $15,250 to owners Mike and Mack Hastings.

Miss Strikin Jet was one of two horses to be supplemented into the trials. The other was A One Man Band, who will run in the second trial.

The first Sunday afternoon racing program will take place this week, featuring the $111,000 Dash For Cash Derby.

The Grade I race was originally scheduled for Saturday night, but rescheduled when track officials obtained permission for the afternoon program.

The favorite probably will be the stakes-winning gelding Ourautograph. His trainer, Bob Baffert, isn’t worried about racing in the afternoon.

“It will be hotter in the afternoon, but that shouldn’t bother anyone,” Baffert said.

“It really won’t make much difference, but I may use it as an excuse if I get beat.”

A winner of $204,000, Ourautograph is unbeaten in two starts this year, including a 21.63-second victory in his 440-yard Dash For Cash Derby trial, fastest in the trials.

There is good news and bad news about the Los Alamitos program Saturday night.

The good news, if you happen to be a music lover, is that there will be another prerace concert.

The bad news, if you happen to live next door, is that there is going to be another prerace concert.

Los Alamitos’ management has turned to prerace concerts in an effort to boost attendance at the track. Two earlier concerts featuring Michael Martin Murphy and Juice Newton were well attended, but they have caused protests by several residents of a nearby housing tract.

These residents have met with track officials to express their opposition to the live concerts, and when the Desert Rose Band performs Saturday night, there will be more than music fans listening.

“We’re going to have a company that reports on noise levels posted in the housing tract,” said Don Galloway, executive vice president of the track.

“We want to see how high these levels are so we can do something to satisfy our neighbors. We love our neighbors, but we also love these concerts.”

The concert is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.