Ready For It, under jockey Jesus Ayala, set the fastest qualifying time for the Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos Sunday night.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–DECEMBER 1, 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 look to close out his sophomore campaign with a victory after posting the fastest qualifying time to the Grade 2, $158,150 Southern California Derby during Sunday's trials held here.

Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala for trainer Monty Arrossa, Ready For It was razor sharp from the outside post number seven, squaring off with Foosea during the early stages of the race before pulling away to win by the third of four trials by ¾ lengths over the Arrossa-trained Foosea and in a time of :19.787 at 400 yards.

A total of 28 runners competed in the trials with the sophomores with the 10 fastest times advancing to the Southern California Derby final on the meet's closing night on Sunday, December 22.

Ready For It has now won five of 12 career starts. He's been a multiple stakes winner here, 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.

Stanley Cartel, under jockey Armando Cervantes, winning the second trial on Sunday. © Amber Mendez

"He's a super class horse," Arrossa said. "He ran a great race tonight. 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 we needed a little time to rest him. He ran a nice trial race tonight.

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.

Sc Time To Run won the closing trial on Sunday night.
© Amber Mendez

All eyes were on another Arrossa trainee in the second trial of the night with the Dunn Ranch and Weetona Stanley-owned Stanley Cartel back in action after his perfect racing record was spoiled when he finished 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, entered the Super Derby final with victories in each of his five career starts. However, he was slow leaving the gate, then brushed and by then he was far behind the leaders. Entering his Southern California trial with five wins from six career starts, Stanley Cartel got back in the winning column with a ½ length win over Betzabe Murillo's Try Harder, who also entered this trial after running 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."

Relentless Coronado won the opening trial Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course. © Amber Mendez

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. Ridden by Armando Cervantes, Stanley Cartel covered the distance in :19.880, which was the third fastest clocking of the night.

The second fastest time went to Dunn Ranch's Foosea, a Foose gelding who was second to Ready For It in a time of :19.865. The Dunn Ranch-bred runner won the Adequan California Derby Challenge earlier this year and also raced in the Grade 3 Adequan Derby Challenge at The Downs at Albuquerque on October 26. He was fourth in that race.

Dunn Ranch's SC Time To Run, a two time derby winner earlier this year, won the fourth and final trial of the night in the fourth fastest time of :19.933 with Eduardo Nicasio up. SC Time To Run won the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby here in March 24 and the Grade 2 Heritage Place Derby on June 1.

His trial win came in the most productive trial of the night as three other sophomores also qualified from this heat. 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 here to Los Al. He had a little bit of a rough time a couple of weeks ago in the Z. Wayne Directors Trials. He didn't break. He broke sharp tonight. Eduardo fits him well. They're a good team. Eduardo did a good job with the horse."

As for the riders, Arrossa seems to have that part of it all lined up with Ayala on Ready For It, Cervantes on Stanley Cartel and Eduardo Nicasio on SC Time To Run.

"Those are my three main riders," he said. "I'm very blessed to have them. They're top of the game all three of them. It doesn't matter who they get on, you get the same ride from them. They have great work ethic and they're super good men."

The opening trial of the night went to Daniel Miranda's Relentless Coronado, who won his heat by ¾ lengths while posting the sixth fastest time of :20.040. Miranda purchased Relentless Coronado privately before his las start in the Town Policy.

In his second start for his new owner, the gelding by Hes Relentless has qualified to a Grade 2 derby. Heath Taylor trains Relentless Coronado, who was ridden by Jose Nicasio.

CLICK HERE for the list of qualifiers to the Southern California Derby, with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys.

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For more information, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.