Vessels Maturity at Los Alamitos : Field Seeks Champion of Champions Invitation

Prissy Fein, Dash In Style and Go Partner lead the 10-horse field that will compete in tonight’s $139,200 Vessels Maturity at Los Alamitos Race Course.

It is the 15th running of the Vessels, a 440-yard race for 4-year-olds. The winner will receive $62,640 and an invitation to the 1986 Champion of Champions race this winter at Los Alamitos. The Champion of Champions is the most prestigious event in quarter horse racing.

Prissy Fein, owned by J. T. Hooten and R. D. Hubbard, was the champion 3-year-old in 1985 after compiling Grade I stakes victories in the Los Alamitos Derby, Rainbow Derby, Sophomore Handicap and the Las Dama Handicap.

Trained by Russell Harris and scheduled to be ridden by John Creager, Prissy Fein had the leading qualifying time of 21:63.

If nothing else, the fact that Prissy Fein is a female seems to favor her. Mares have won 10 of the previous 14 races.

Dash In Style will have jockey sensation Kip Didericksen aboard. Didericksen currently leads jockey standings at Los Alamitos with 63 victories. A distant second is Creager with 34.

Though he was the leading rider at Bay Meadows this year and at the Los Alamitos winter meet, Didericksen, 20, has yet to win a Grade I stakes.

“It’s great to win a lot of races, but the stakes are the ones everyone remembers,” he said. “I’d like this to be my first, and I think we have a pretty good chance.”

Since Dash In Style’s trainer, all-time stakes winner Blane Schvaneveldt, broke with his No. 1 rider, Kenneth Hart, Didericksen was given a chance on Schvaneveldt’s top horse.

“I appreciate the ride,” Didericksen said. “He can get anyone he wants to ride for him. I’m really glad he picked me.”

Dash In Style qualified with the second-fastest time, 21:65.

Go Partner is another Schvaneveldt entry. Go Partner was the third-fastest qualifier (21:68) and is scheduled to be ridden by James Lackey.

An unusual long shot in the race is the gelding Eastex. It’s unusual because Eastex, owned by H. D. and Margaret Hall, is the richest horse in the history of quarter horse racing. Eastex has earned more than $1.8 million in his career.

However, the bulk of that was made as a 2-year-old, when Eastex won the Bay Meadows, Dash For Cash and All-American Futurities. In all, the horse earned more than 1.5 million as a 2-year-old.

Since then, Eastex’s performances have been erratic and labored, leaving some to believe that the horse may have been run too much, too soon. A encouraging sign to trainer James MacArthur is Eastex’s strong showing in the qualifying heats. The horse ran a comfortable race in a time of 21:73.

The rest of the field--with qualifying times--for the Vessels Maturity: Rich Sparks (21:71), Sitting On Go (21:82), Win Apollo (21:85), Miss Mighty Mary (21:85), Game Doll (21:88) and Native Scout (21:89).