STRENGTH IN NUMBERS HEADS CHARGER BAR

December 31, 2008 – Benny Rossett’s Strength In Numbers looks for her second win on the comeback trail when she starts in the $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap (G1) Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.

The Paul Jones-trained Strength In Numbers (Strawfly Special-Strength Of Heart by Heza Fast Man) came back from a 13-month layoff in peak form by winning the Las Damas Handicap (G2) for distaffers by a length with a powerful closing run. She raced the 400 yards, the same distance of the Charger Bar, in :19.42.

Strength In Numbers was in the runoff for the 2007 champion aged mare award after concluding her 2007 campaign with a nose win over males in the 440-yard Los Alamitos Championship (G1). That is her highlight victory from 22 career starts that have resulted with seven wins and 16 on-the-board finishes.

Dan and Lisa McMahon’s Blazin Fire (This Snow Is Royal-Blazin Sin by Easy Crimson) won the 2007 champion aged mare title over stablemate Strength In Numbers and gives Jones a championship-level, one-two punch in the Charger Bar.

Blazin Fire has put together a creditable summer-fall campaign at Los Alamitos with a win in the Merial California Distaff Challenge (G3) and coming off a third-place effort behind Strength In Numbers in the Las Damas. She was also fourth in the Mildred Vessels Handicap (G1) at 3-1 odds.

Rancho El Alacran’s My Lady First (First Down Dash-Lady Of The Lake (TB) by Salt Lake (TB)) starts her 4-year-old season after genuine efforts in the Los Alamitos futurity and derby divisions that past two years. The fourth-place finisher in the 2007 Los Alamitos Two Million (G1) raced to third-place efforts in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby (G1) and the La Primera Del Año Derby (G1) last year.