Strength In Numbers added $100,000 to her count with a strong finish in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Invitational Championship on Saturday, October 13. Long shot Go Love A Lark Go was second by a neck, while Strawkins, the slight public favorite, stumbled at the start and finished fifth.

It was the first Grade 1 stakes win for Strength In Numbers, who came into the 440-yard dash off of five in-the-money graded stakes finishes this year. The 4-year-old Strawfly Special daughter, ridden by Cesar DeAlba, is trained by Paul Jones for Benny Rossett. Jones, the five-time defending national champion trainer, also saddled Strawkins, Ketel Won (3rd) and Leading Spirit (8th).

Strength In Numbers now has a record of 6 wins (4 stakes) in 21 starts with $210,000. Catchmeinyourdreams (6th) and Apollitical Time (4th) were the warhorses of the field with 14 wins apiece. Eight-year-old gelding Catchmeinyourdreams (pictured), by Pritzi Dash, has earned $1,042,077 in 50 starts; 5-year-old mare Apollitical Time, by Apollo TB, has $903,422 in 33 starts.

An impressive 46 Los Alamitos Championship winners have been named AQHA champions for the year that they won the race, including four of this year’s contenders: Apollitcal Time, Strawkins, Catchmeinyourdreams (three-time winner), and Leading Spirit. Sixteen horses have parlayed the Los Alamitos Championship to claim the title of AQHA world champion, and eight have gone on to win the prestigious Champion of Champions in the same year, including Refrigerator, Dash For Speed, Cash Rate, Sgt Pepper Feature, Denim N Diamonds and Dash For Cash.

Heza Ramblin Man owns the Los Alamitos Invitational stakes record of 21.18; Dash For Cash holds the Los Alamitos track record of 21.170, set on December 19, 1976 in the Champion of Champions.