Dominant fillies meet in Oaks

In consecutive time trials on March 6 for Saturday’s $427,500 Los Alamitos Oaks, the brilliant fillies Apollitical Patty and Terrific Temper overwhelmed the competition, winning by at least three lengths.

In the first of three trials, Apollitical Patty stormed away from the gate under jockey Armando Cervantes to prevail by 3 1/2 lengths in 19.55 seconds for 400 yards. By comparison, Apollitical Patty won the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December in 19.56.

In the following time trial, Terrific Temper gave her own visually impressive performance, winning by 3 1/4 lengths in 19.75. The third trial was won by Aint She Tempting in the relatively pedestrian time of 20.07, but quick enough to gain a berth among the 10 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s final.

Monty Arrossa trains Apollitical Patty and Aint She Tempting. Both fillies race for Juliana Hawn Holt of Texas, whose husband, Peter, owns the San Antonio Spurs. Holt bought Apollitical Patty privately in January.

Terrific Temper was ninth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and later won a division of the Los Alamitos Winter Derby trials in January, though not in a time quick enough to earn a spot in the final.

Terrific Temper was plenty quick enough in the Los Alamitos Oaks trial. Trainer Chris O’Dell told Los Alamitos publicity earlier this week that a draw near Apollitical Patty will help Terrific Temper on Saturday.

“I think my filly needs something to run at,” O’Dell said. “Apollitical Patty buries her head and runs no matter what, but this filly kind of gets out there a couple of lengths and she’ll go looking around, loafs a little.”

Apollitical Patty, who will go favored, drew the outside post, while Terrific Temper and Aint She Tempting break from posts 6 and 7.

Aint She Tempting and Up for You will likely be the third and fourth choices. Aint She Tempting won the Oklahoma Futurity at Remington Park last March and was later second in the Golden State Million Futurity and a troubled seventh in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

Up for You was second by a nose in the $101,300 Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes at 350 yards on Feb. 21 and second to Terrific Temper in the Los Alamitos Oaks trials. A top-three finish in this field would seem like a win for Up for You against such a strong field.