Badilla Beelines for Burke

Los Alamitos, California - July 26, 2002 - On Saturday at Los Alamitos Racecourse, jockey Joe Badilla will pair up with two-year-old Straw Flying Dash
for the $436,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity (G1) in an attempt to
make a repeat of last weekend's victory with First To Flash.

Last Sunday, Badilla and First To Flash won the Rainbow Futurity
(G1), and eliminated Zip First's hope for the $4 million All American
Triple Crown Bonus. This Saturday, he will attempt to repeat the
trick by foiling Kindergarten Futurity (G1) winner Morning Snow's
shot at winning the $1 million Los Alamitos Bonanza.

Morning Snow, a sorrel filly by This Snow Is Royal, has won three of
four races, and is owned by Charles and Dixie Patterson of Wimberly,
Texas. In her last start, under the tutelage of trainer Donna
McArthur, she posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the Ed
Burke trials. She will emerge from the inside post under jockey Sam
Thompson.

Straw Flying Dash comes into the race with an undefeated record of
three-for-three. The son of Strawfly Special has steadily increased
his winning margins in each race, and will start as the morning-line
favorite in the Ed Burke. He is trained by Dan Francisco and owned by
Micah Leslie and Link Newcomb.

Seven other horses will round out the field for the Futurity. If
Morning Snow can win the Ed Burke, she'll have to conquer the Los
Alamitos Million Futurity to win the $1 million Los Alamitos Bonanza.
No horse has ever won it since it was first offered in 1998.
On Friday, four American Quarter Horse champions will appear among 14
horses going to the post in two qualifying trials for the Grade 1
Vessels Maturity. The 400-yard Vessels will be run August 10.

Champions A Ransom, Dashing Knud, Whosleavingwho, and Tiny First
Effort are all slated to appear.

In the second of the two heats, Kathie and John Bobenreith's 2000
World Champion A Ransom will go up against that same year's
2-year-old Champion, Dashing Knud. A Ransom, a sorrel gelding by
First Down Dash, has earned $912,656 in 27 starts. He is trained by
Connie Hall, and will be ridden by Carlos Bautista. Gordon Knudsen
and Vessels Stallion Farm LLC's Dashing Knud has earned $1,033,859 in
12 wins out of 20 lifetime starts. He has finished in the money in
all four starts this year.

Two 2001 divisional champions, Whosleavingwho and Tiny First Effort,
will compete in the first trial. Whosleavingwho, the Champion
3-year-old Gelding, will run for owners Jim Geiler and Kim Kessinger.
Tiny First Effort, a sorrel mare by First Down Dash, won last year's
$154,350 Southern California Derby (G1) en route to becoming the
Champion 3-year-old Filly.

The 10 fastest times will qualify for the finals of the Vessels
Maturity. The winners of the race will then be given an automatic
berth into the December 14 $500,000 Champion of Champions (G1).

For up-to-the-date information log on to www.aqha.com/racing or
contact AQHA at (806) 376-4811.