LOS ALAMITOS, CA—OCTOBER 4, 2017—Owner Kolleen Ledgerwood has recently enjoyed some special victories on big racing nights at Los Alamitos Race Course.

The Washington-based owner swept a pair of Freshman Stakes races on California Breeders Champions Night in 2016 and earlier this year she at it again, thanks to Scholarly's victory in the Debutante Stakes in this year's running of Champions Night.

Ledgerwood is now hoping for her biggest win yet when she is represented by the Roberto Dominguez-trained Renewed in Friday's $184,000 PCQHRA Breeders Derby at Los Alamitos. Renewed is a headliner in this race after posting the fastest qualifying time to the 400-yard derby during trials on September 16. The Ed Allred-bred colt by Walk Thru Fire covered the distance in the night's fastest time of :19.780.

"We felt we had the horse razor sharp," Dominguez said. "He had some trouble in the Golden State Derby final (two races ago). It was an oversight on my part, but this time I didn't take anything for granted. I think we brought him into this race as sharp as possible."

Ledgerwood and Dominguez have had the fastest qualifier to a major derby before. Back in 2011, it was Filthy Fast that had the honor of being the top qualifier to the Golden State Derby. Filthy Fast went on to finish a game fourth to Docs Apollo in the final.

It's now Renewed's chance to give his connections their biggest win ever at Los Alamitos. "It would be nice to finally win a major race," Dominguez said. "It'd be great to do it for Kolleen. She's helped me out for a long time."

Dominguez saddled Ledgerwood's Scholarly to win the Debutante Stakes earlier this year and also Scholarly and Favorite Aquaholic in the aforementioned Freshman Stakes race in 2016. As for Renewed in this year's PCQHRA Breeders Derby, he'll face a quality group headed by Ron Hartley's One Proud Eagle, the winner of last year's Kindergarten Futurity and John Deere Juvenile Challenge, and George Seward's Ms Jess Knockout, a finalist in last year's Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Trained by Jose Flores, Ms Jess Knockout surprised in her trial at 21-1 odds while posting the second fastest qualifying time. Meanwhile, owner Ron Hartley will be looking for his second PCQHRA Breeders Derby win having enjoyed his first with the great Moonist in 2014. His One Proud Eagle scored a solid victory in the trials and has proven capable of coming back to win a major stakes after racing in trials.

Darling Farms and Jaime Gomez's LD Is Back was second to Ms Jess Knockout in the trials and enters after posting the third fastest qualifying time. LD Is Back has previously dominated sophomores when winning the Jens List Stakes on Champions Night. Six others will be in action in the Breeders Derby final.

Jess A Cowboy Heads Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap

Trainer Matt Fales will always remember Larry Starks' Arizona-bred Jess A Cowboy. The Dejon gelding gave the trainer his first ever stakes victory at Los Alamitos when he sailed past five rivals to win the He Flys Handicap on September 8.

For his career Jess A Cowboy has won a total of six stakes races for the trainer, dating back to his victory in the Arizona QRA Futurity in 2014. Add to that record, his wins in the Desert Classic Derby, Arizona QRA Derby, Mike Hastings Memorial Stakes, and Bank of America Turf Paradise Championship Challenge.

Jess A Cowboy will now look to score his seventh career stakes win, and second stakes victory at Los Alamitos when he leads a solid field of runners in the $20,000 Blane Schvaneveldt Handicap, which is named in honor of this track's all-time leading trainer in wins and stakes wins. Similarly, to the He Flys Handicap and Kip Didericksen Handicap, the Blane Schvaneveldt is for horses that have competed in the Intermountain, Northwest, Arizona and Nevada regions this year.

To be ridden by Cruz Mendez once again, Jess A Cowboy will start from post number one in the Blane Schvaneveldt at 400 yards. The Larry and Phyllis Stark-bred runner has never started from the inside post position at Los Alamitos, but the classy veteran is a cool customer that always seems to find his high-gear a few strides into his race.

Tim Holdaway's Justified was the betting favorite when second to Jess A Cowboy in the He Flys. He figures to get a lot of attention once again, as he draws outside of Jess A Cowboy and should break alertly with the speedy runners Jess A Lil Fishy and Wilmas Alright Now breaking on each of him. To be ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Monty Arrossa, Justified was fourth when facing Grade 1 caliber horses in the Bank of America California Championship Challenge on August 13.

Joseph Ward's Jess A Lil Fish, winner of the $21,000 Elko County Fair Derby in her last start, is the youngest runner and only filly in this race. The daughter of Apollitical Jess has been oustanding during her sophomore campaign, winning five of eight starts and never finishing worse than third. To defeat a grop of quality older males would be a nice feather in her hat. Wilmas Alright Now, who ran in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Championship last year, the stakes placed Block And Tackle, and Show Me Bofum, the 2016 Idaho Cup Derby runner-up, will complete the field.

Solid Group In Kip Didericksen Handicap

Los Alamitos Race Course will host the running of the $16,000 Kip Didericksen Handicap, named in honor of one of the most famous and talented jockeys Quarter Horse racing has ever seen. Didericksen, a native of Preston, Idaho, began his riding career as a teenager at tracks like Le Bois Park, the Flathead Fairgrounds and the Cow Capital Turf Club.

By the time he was done at Los Alamitos, Kip had amassed at Los Alamitos 1,318 Quarter Horse wins, the 11th highest figure here, and 63 stakes wins. Kip is best remembered as the rider of the legendary World Champion Refrigerator, who he piloted to victory in the 1992 Champion of Champions. Kip won 10 riding titles at Los Alamitos and was also a leading rider during the Quarter Horse meeting at Bay Meadows. Kip was also the AQHA Champion Jockey in 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The field to the Kip Didericksen will be headed by Chad Richard’s Cypress Sally, an impressive winner in four out of her first six starts. The filly by Winners Version actually crossed the wire first in five of those starts, but she was disqualified from first and placed 10th in the $66,282 Hadley/Giles Futurity at Webber Downs in the summer of 2016. Now trained by Paul Jones, Cypress Sally faced aged males in her local debut when running fifth to Jess A Cowboy in the He Flys Handicap. Leading rider Jesus Rios Ayala will ride the New Mexico homebred.

Five Livestock Company LLC’s Stellur is another runner to consider in this event. Trained by Monty Arrossa, Stellur has finished second or better in each of his last four starts. He was a two-time winner against mid to high-level claimers here last year. Jose Cordova Romo’s Youre Gonna Mish Me will start from post number in the Kip Didericksen. The Colorado-bred won here in his most recent starts when defeating $16,000 claimers September 10.

Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.