Doodah Cartel, ridden by Henry Reynoso Lopez, powers to a commanding 1½-length victory in the third trial for the Grade 2 El Primero Del Año Derby Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–MARCH 9, 2026– Thompson Racing, Paul Jones, and Alexis Andrade’s Doodah Cartel cemented his status as the story of the young season so far at Los Alamitos in 2026 with a stellar effort in the third and final trial for the Grade 2, $185,100 El Primero Del Año Derby here on Sunday night.

By the time the dust settled on this night, the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby winner, Doodah Cartel, had not only secured the fastest qualifying time but had extended his perfect 2026 record to three-for-three at the Orange County oval.

Named in honor of the late Bernie Erickson, Doodah Cartel entered the third and final trial of the evening with high expectations. While his victory in the Winter Derby on Valentine’s Day was an emotional one for his connections, Sunday’s performance was one of pure dominance. Breaking alertly under jockey Henry Reynoso Lopez, the son of Favorite Cartel took the lead shortly after the start and never looked back. He drew away from a talented field that included Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity finalist Brother Ray to win by a commanding 1 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in :19.739 for the 400 yards. His winning time was 15/100ths of a second faster than Ed Allred’s More Of It, who ran lights out to post the second-fastest clocking.

Led by Doodah Cartel, the sophomores with the 10 fastest times on Sunday night advanced to the El Primero final to be held here on Sunday, March 29.

The El Primero Del Año Derby Qualifiers: Doodah Cartel (:19.739), More Of It (:19.884), Brother Ray (:19.984), Cowboy Country 123 (:20.111), Good Mischief (:20.120), Cattail Coast (:20.127), Accuzation (:20.249), Unmarked (:20.262), Jesskeepingitgoing (:20.277), and Jess A Lucky Charm (:20.467).

A big part of the El Primero Derby will be whether Doodah Cartel continues his "story of the season" run while chasing his second derby win of the meet.

“He had a nice break after the Two Million Futurity trials,” owner Terry Thompson said. “He had about 60 days off. He had a little turn and work and he looked good. We brought him back in the Winter Derby and he looked fantastic. He came back out of the [final] and Paul said that he was doing great. We waited a week, and he went back to the track and he was fine. He’ll come back and run in the final, and then we’ll take another break until the Governor’s Cup trials [on Sunday, July 5]. He’ll have another nice little stretch in between there. Hopefully, he comes back sound out of this."

“He’s starting to mature; he’s starting to figure it out,” Thompson added. “You can just see it. In the gates and his whole demeanor and everything leading up to the pre-race has been great.”

Thompson said that both he and his wife, Debbie, are still on cloud nine after the special Winter Derby win.

“There were a lot of text messages, a lot of phone calls from family in Arizona on Bernie’s side,” Thompson said. “They were just excited. Debbie and I were just tickled, and we are still on a high right now. This [trial win] just puts us back again. Hopefully, he comes back in good form for the final. We’re looking forward to it.”

Thompson and Jones bred and raced the outstanding stallion Favorite Cartel. They were involved with the horse when he started his career at stud at Burns Ranch in Menifee, and while they are no longer owners of the brilliant sire, they now have a Grade 1-winning homebred colt in Doodah Cartel with the potential to one day be a sire as well.

“He is a colt,” Thompson said. “Hopefully, he follows in Favorite Cartel’s footsteps. You know, he reminds me so much of him. Favorite Cartel wasn’t as quick of a breaker, but he had that big kick at the back end of it. This colt is starting to figure out the gate a little bit more. That’s two starts now that he’s broke [near or on] top. If he just gets good clean trips, we like his chances.”

For the connections of Doodah Cartel, the journey remains as much about remembering a beloved family member as it is about this talented colt. As Terry Thompson noted earlier this season, the horse has rejuvenated their involvement in the sport—and with the top qualifying mark in the books, this special season could continue all the way to the winner's circle on El Primero night.

While Doodah Cartel was the star of the night, Dr. Ed Allred’s homebred More Of It continued his rise to stardom with his second straight victory. His connections can now dream of the gelding—by Favorite Cartel out of the stakes winner Up For It—becoming a force to be reckoned with in 2026. He could certainly be a player in the upcoming March 29 final after his 1 1/4-length win in the trials. Coming off a hard-fought win in the Los Alamitos Maiden Stakes trials, the Scott Willoughby trainee took the opening heat of the night with professional ease, taking charge early and sailing on to win for the second time in seven starts. More Of It stopped the timer in :19.884 with jockey Gabrial Lara up, signaling that the Allred-owned runner is ready to challenge for a top spot.

The night was not without its surprises, however. In the second trial, the narrative took an underdog turn when Unmarked pulled off a mild 4-1 upset over a field that included heavy favorite El Dictator. Acquired by Oscar Parra for just $16,000 as a claim when winning the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity last August, the gelding proved he belongs in graded company. Ridden by Erasmo Gasca and under the guidance of trainer Francisco Rodriguez, Unmarked surged to a 1 1/2-length victory. Though his winning time of :20.262 was the eighth-fastest of the qualifiers, the visual of his win suggested he could be a dangerous factor in the final.

“We’ve battled with this horse, but here we are,” owner Oscar Parra said. “He finally won and now we’re in a final.”

El Dictator, the 1-5 favorite, broke through the gate before the start of the race and was never able to muster a challenge after his running space became crowded. He did not qualify for the final after the trouble.

“When that happened, it gave us an advantage,” Parra said. “It was our turn tonight.”

Unmarked will look to follow the accomplishments of last year’s El Primero winner, Show N Tell Cartel, who was also acquired in the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity before going on to win the Grade 2 El Primero final.

In the opening trial, Steve Mickaelian and Juan Moya’s Cowboy Country 123 advanced to his second Grade 2 final after running in the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity last year. He was the runner-up to More Of It, finishing ahead of Gentry Farms’ Good Mischief, a Kentucky-bred gelding sired by the Thoroughbred star Into Mischief. Into Mischief won the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park in 2007 and placed in three other graded stakes on the Southern California Thoroughbred circuit during his career.

Click HERE to view qualifier list. 

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