Defending Champ (#7) gets up over Favorite Jesshawk (#6) to set the fastest time for the Golden State Derby(G2) at Los Alamitos Saturday night.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–AUGUST 16, 2025–Ed Allred's Defending Champ is Mr. Automatic right now when it comes to winning races with big finishes at Los Alamitos. For the third race in a row, Defending Champ trailed in the early part of a race before flying late to be first to the finish line.       

On Saturday night, Defending Champ was third at the midway point of his trial to the Grade 2, $197,500 Golden State Derby before unleashing his customary late run to outfinish multiple stakes winner Favorite Jesshawk by a nose. In the process.

Defending Champ covered the 400 yards in :19.647 to finish as the fastest qualifier to the final to be held here on Saturday, September 6.

Twenty-six runners competed in the trials with Gentry Farms' Beach Walk and Robs Reason, owned by Jose Flores, Layne Sprouse, and Mark and Marta Winslow, winning the other two trials.

Ridden by Gabriel Lara for trainer Scott Willoughby, Defending Champ has now won five of six starts in 2025. His victories include a ¾ length win in the Governor's Cup Derby on July 26, and his only blemish this season is a second-place finish to Show N Tell Cartel in the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby, a race in which he was flying late after breaking sixth in the race.

Beach Walk (#8), under jockey Edurado Nicasio, qualifies in the opening trial Saturday. © Amber Mendez

The Steve Burns-bred son of Favorite Cartel has become much better at leaving the gate, making him incredibly tough to outduel in the final yards.

"He got away from the gate great," Willoughby said. "(Favorite Jesshawk) ran a great race. I didn't know if we had won it or not when we crossed the line, but he stuck his nose out there. He finishes so strong now and he's just a big powerful horse. He's come around really well this year. He's not one of those that gets all stirred up. He's calm, he's nice, he doesn't worry about anything. He relaxes really good, which is great. He just loves going down the track. If we get him going 440 yards later next year, it'll be great."

EG High Desert Farms' Favorite Jesshawk, winner of the Governor's Cup Futurity last year, finished as the second fastest qualifier with a time of :19.652. The homebred son of A Mere Felix was second to Defending Champ in the Governor's Cup Derby in his last start as well. Ricardo Ramirez piloted the Jesus Nunez trainee.

Robs Reason, under jockey Irving Lara, won the second Golden State Derby trial Saturday. © Amber Mendez

Jo Rae Burns' Astronomical 123 finished third in this trial and his time of :19.857 was good enough to match Beach Walk's winning time in the opening trial for third fastest qualifying time.

Astronomical 123, a gelding by Flying Cowboy 123, scored an allowance win earlier this year and his only other start was a troubled fifth in his last outing. Ruben Lozano was up for trainer Mike Casselman.

Beach Walk will be racing in her fourth stakes event of the year in California following her win in the first trial. The daughter of Freighttrain B was the fastest qualifier to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks earlier this season, finishing third in the final.

She was second in the La Pacifica Handicap and then finished out of the money when taking on older mares in the Grade 3 Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes. With Eduardo Nicasio up, Beach Walk made up steady ground in the second part of this race to catch Allred's Listen Now to win by a ½ length. Listen Now was the fifth fastest qualifier with a time of :19.916.

EG High Desert Farms' Its On You, who got show money in the Governor's Cup Derby, was third in this trial and her time of :19.960 equaled Robs Reason's winning time in the second trial. They finished tied for the sixth fastest qualifying time.

Trained by Jose Flores, Robs Reason ran in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity last year and the Golden State Derby will now mark his return to stakes action. He beat a group that included multiple stakes winner Train B Taka and multiple Grade 1 stakes finalist Norco.

Train B Taka and Norco both broke through the gate and had to reloaded prior to the start of this race. Irving Lara piloted the Louisiana-bred Robs Reason to a ¾ length win.

"We saw him in the barn before the race and he was so full of it," Marta Winslow said. "The grooms were hanging out with him trying to keep him quiet. He was really feeling good."

CLICK HERE for the complete list of qualifiers with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys.

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

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