Unbeaten Dortmund makes stakes bow in Los Alamitos Futurity

Mr. Z is the most experienced runner in the field, having already started

seven times this year. The Kentucky-bred began his long season with a maiden

debut score at Churchill in late June and has faced off against nothing but

graded rivals since. He just missed by a neck next out in the Grade 3 Sanford at

Saratoga before filling the second spot yet again at the Spa in the Grade 2

Saratoga Special.

A second in Keeneland's Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity was sandwiched between

fifth-place efforts in the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill and Breeders' Cup

Juvenile at Santa Anita Park. Mr. Z will enter the Los Alamitos Futurity off a

nose second last out in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot on November 22. Mike

Smith has the call.

No Problem is the only other entrant with prior stakes experience in the

field. The Munnings chestnut took two tries to break his maiden, getting the job

done at Santa Anita on October 26, before adding Del Mar's Grade 3 Bob Hope to

his resume on November 15. Trained by Mike McCarthy, No Problem has gone off at

double-digit odds in two of his three starts, and keeps Victor Espinoza in the

saddle on Saturday.

Bench Warrant and Firing Line are both maiden winners with a single loss on

their records. The former, a John Sadler-trained son of Street Boss, took his

career opener before finishing third against optional claiming challengers, both

at Del Mar. Firing Line was second in his Santa Anita bow but then broke his

maiden by 4 1/4 lengths at Del Mar on November 30 for trainer Simon Callaghan.

The Line of David bay will have Rafael Bejarano in the irons while Tyler Baze

will get a leg up on Bench Warrant.

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