Dateline: December 1, 2005

Teller Cartel posts best qualifying time in futurity

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Teller Cartel, an American Quarter Horse partley owned by Walt and Janice Knorpp of Clarendon, was the fastest qualifier in the time trials for the Los Alamitos Million Futurity Friday.

According to a release on the Los Alamitos website, Teller Cartel got the better of superstar Higher Fire in a futurity trial, this time defeating the winner of the Ed Burke and Golden State Million futurities by 1 ¼ lengths when posting the fastest qualifying time of :19.535 to the Grade 1 $1.5 million Los Alamitos Million Futurity.

But this trial belonged to Teller Cartel, as he exploded from post eight and was never challenged from there. Teller Cartel had defeated Higher Fire in the Golden State Million trial but the filly came back to win the $1,100,000 final. Teller Cartel was third in that million dollar final after leading during the early going.

“(Jockey) Cody Jensen told me that’s the best Teller Cartel had run for him,” said trainer Paul Jones.

“He just kept reaching for the wire,” said Jensen, who piloted Teller Cartel to his All American triumph. “He ran huge. This was an absolutely monster race. Anytime you beat caliber of horses by daylight it’s a monster effort. He ran as good or better as when he won the All American.”

The futurity will be held on December 9.

For more information about the race, visit www.losalamitos.com.