Fastest qualifier from the trials, Ready For It, heads the Grade 2, $158,150 Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos on Sunday night.

© Los Alamitos

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–DECEMBER 20, 2024–Juniors Quarter Horses’ Ready For It, who finished second in the first derby of the season, the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, on February 17, will now look to close out his sophomore campaign with a victory as the fastest qualifier to the Grade 2, $158,150 Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos on Sunday night.

The Southern California Derby is the 10th and final race on the meet’s closing day program. The program will feature a mandatory payout in the Pick 6, which consists of races 5-10. First post is 5 p.m. (Pacific).                         

To be ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Monty Arrossa, Ready For It was razor sharp from the outside post number seven in the trials, squaring off with Foosea during the early stages of the race before pulling away to win by the third of four trials by 3/4 lengths.

Ready For It is a multiple stakes winner at Los Alamitos with wins in the California Breeders Freshman Stakes in 2023 and the James Smith Memorial Stakes in April. He was second to the outstanding BP Cartel Policy in the Winter Derby, and most recently, he was the runner-up in the Town Policy Handicap.                                                                                       

"He’s a super class horse," Arrossa said of the winner of five of 12 starts. "I knew the outside would be a good spot for him. He broke well, ran well. It took us a little bit to get him back sharp. We took him to Ruidoso and needed a little time to rest him."                                                    

Bred by Ed Allred, the son of Favorite Cartel, is out of the brilliant mare Up For It and was purchased for $162,000 at the 2022 Los Alamitos Equine Sale. He’ll be one of four runners trained by Arrossa in the Southern California final. Arrossa won the Southern California Derby last year with Aint He Tempting.                                                                

Dunn Ranch and Weetona Stanley’s Stanley Cartel returned to the winning track in the trials after running out of the money in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby final on December 10. Stanley Cartel, a colt by Pyc Paint Your Wagon, posted a solid  ½ length win over Betzabe Murillo’s Try Harder, who also raced in the Super Derby final.   

"Stanley Cartel, he just had a rough go at the start in the Super Derby," Arrossa added. "He didn’t get his break. He got closed off, got dirt in his face for the first time so a lot of first for him on that night. I was proud of him bouncing back. He showed his class, and Armando did a great job getting him away from the gate and getting him lined up."                                                                                     

Stanley Cartel is out of First Prize Fancy from the great Stanley family of broodmares that trace back to First Prize Rose, the dam of the legendary First Down Dash.

Dunn Ranch’s homebred Foosea, a Foose gelding who was second to Ready For It in the second fastest qualifying time, won the Adequan California Derby Challenge earlier this year and saw action in the Grade 3 Adequan Derby Challenge at The Downs at Albuquerque on October 26, where he finished fourth. He’ll be one of the top contenders in the Southern California final.                                                       

Dunn Ranch will also be rooting in this race for SC Time To Run, a two-time derby winner earlier this year, who’ll race in this final for Arrossa and jockey Eduardo Nicasio. He won the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos on March 24 and the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby on June 1.

SC Time To Run qualified to this final out of the most productive trial of the night where three other sophomores also qualified. In addition to SC Time To Run, Steve Burns, Mark and Marta Winslow and Jose Flores’ Silver Bac, Barry Woodhouse’s Freddie and Parsons Ranch’s Kevin Wise Corona also qualified from this trial.                                                               

"He’s had a tough campaign," Arrossa said of SC Time To Run. "He’s run hard all year long and he traveled to Oklahoma, traveled to New Mexico and brought him back to Los Al. He had a little bit of a rough time in the Z. Wayne Directors Trials. He didn’t break. He broke sharp (in the trials). Eduardo fits him well. They’re a good team."                                       

The field includes Daniel Miranda’s Relentless Coronado, who won his heat by 3/4 lengths while posting the sixth-fastest time of 20.040. Miranda purchased Relentless Coronado privately before his last start in the Town Policy. The gelding by Hes Relentless will be making his third start for his new owner.

Rancho El Cabresto’s Remember John will complete this field. Rancho El Cabresto won the Southern California Derby with the stallion Mr Apollitical Dash in 2017.  The field from the rail out is as follows: Silver Bac, Try Harder, Ready For It, Freddie, Foosea, Relentless Coronado, Stanley Cartel, Kevins Wise Corona, Remember John, and SC Time To Run.

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