Preview Racing


30 Sophomores To Races In Trials To Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby On Saturday Night
Two-time stakes winner Cole Man 47 will be among 30 hopeful's in Saturday's e Grade 1, $198,700 Los Alamitos Winter Derby.

© Scott Martinez
30 Sophomores To Races In Trials To Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby On Saturday Night

LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JANUARY 16, 2019—Major futurity winners Cole Man 47, Powerful Favorite and KR Hi Five are among the 30 sophomores that will compete in the trials to the Grade 1, $198,700 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Saturday night. The horses with the 10 fastest times will return for the Winter Derby final on Saturday, February 9.

Marin Jones and Steve McIntyre's Cole Man 47 could be one of the starts to shine on Saturday night when he headlines the second of four trials at 400 yards. Trained by Paul Jones, the gelding by Stel Corona won the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and the John Deere California Juvenile last year.

He also finished second by a head in a trial to the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity to Seaduction, who was among the eventual 10 qualifiers to the Two Million. Ramon Sanchez will ride Cole Man 47 from post number one. Jones is hoping that Cole Man 47 keeps delivering strong performances in 2019.

"You usually start seeing improvement with a young horse at the end of their 2-year-old year," Jones said. "They start maturing and have the racing experience to help them take the next step as a 3-year-old. With Cole Man 47, he’s raced enough times and he’s shown that he's a nice horse. He’s always done well and we'd be thrilled to see him improve on what he’s done in the past."

Jones will also saddle Dee and Gary Hoovestal's Bos Time Machine in the opening derby trial. The Bodacious Dash gelding has won three of his last four starts and was a 3/4 length winner in his Two Million trial. Purty Fancy Dude, the runner-up in the Holiday Handicap three weeks ago is another top name in the opening trial.

Dave and Sally Kidd's KR Hi Five will enter the third trial on a four-race winning streak. The son of last year's leading first-crop sire Five Bar Cartel won the Grade 2 John Deere Juvenile Championship on November 17 and prior to that he won the Wild West Futurity, both races at Los Alamitos. Jose Nicasio will ride KR Hi Five for trainer Jaime Gomez from post one.

"He's been racing so well and training so well that I just hope that it can continue," Gomez said. "He's gained weight in the past few months, has really really matured and has become more powerful and muscular. He reminds me of Forget It, who developed so much as he got older. I think (Two Million runner-up) Ali Babe Foose is on a similar path. They’ll just get better and better."

KR Hi Five is the first major futurity winner for the Kidds.

"He's been so much fun," Dave Kidd said. "He got bumped around in the Hadley/Giles Futurity final and came out of that race a little sore. He may have overexerted himself in that race, so we gave him some time off. He had very little experience when he first arrived at Los Alamitos - he had only started twice - but he’s more comfortable now. Now the real tests begin, as he’ll be facing horses that have raced in the million dollar races at Los Alamitos. We’ll be there to cheer him on."

Rosenthal Ranch's Powerful Favorite, winner of the Restricted Grade 2 Governor's Cup Futurity, will look to star in the fourth and final trial on Saturday.

To be ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Chris O'Dell, Powerful Favorite is also one of two horses to have raced in last year's Ed Burke Million Futurity, Golden State Million Futurity and Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

"We hope that he continues to mature," O'Dell said. "He’s always had a good mind and he could be something really special if he continues to improve. He's not a big heavy horse, so we think he’ll be able to handle the track after the rain we’ve had. He definitely likes distances, so the 400 yards should also help him."

Powerful Favorite won his Two Million trial by two lengths, but stumbled at the start of the final and no one was catching eventual winner Flash And Roll.

"We’d love to see him do better in the finals," O'Dell added. "He’s been able to do great in trials, but he’s had bad luck in finals. The one time that he got away cleanly, he won the Governor’s Cup Futurity. You have break well and stay out of trouble. In the Two Million, we were right next to Flash And Roll and that was a tough spot to be in. She broke like a rocket and the race was over. She made him look like he was just standing there.

"When you are facing top horses, you can’t have any blips. In the trials, you can look good and you can make up a mistake. It’s tough to do that in a final. We’re excited to see him race as a 3-year-old. We’re also looking forward to Favorite Wise Lady. She had a foot abscess, but her foot looks good and we’re expecting big things out of her as well."

Owned by Parsons Ranch, Favorite Wise Lady will start from the outside post number eight in the third trial.

Legacy Ranch's Mister Appolitical is among the other top names racing in the derby trials. The son of Apollitical Jess is the only other runner to have qualified to the Ed Burke Million, Golden State Million and Two Million last year. He'll face Cole Man 47 in the second trial.

Other futurity finalists returning in these trials include Golden State Million finalist You Caught My Eye plus Ladys A Cartel, Jess Bein Me, Silver Jet Dash, Delayed Steal, Annas Image, and Red Hawk Cartel.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.