Hi Octane lived up to his fast-paced name, setting the fastest qualifying mark of :19.912 in Saturday's Golden State Derby (G2) trials at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–AUGUST 16, 2026–Keith Nellesen’s Hi Octane lived up to his fast-paced name, putting full-throttle power on display to set the fastest qualifying mark of :19.912 in Saturday's Golden State Derby (G2) trials at Los Alamitos. Returning home to supercharge the card in his 2026 local debut, the PCQHRA Champion 2-Year-Old Gelding ignited a thrilling night across three 400-yard heats that established the ten qualifiers for the $171,900 final on Saturday, September 5.

While Hi Octane fueled the night's top performance and You Are The Best shifted into high gear to dominate the trial finale, the evening's biggest surprise came in the opening heat when 2-5 favorite Doodah Cartel had trouble leaving the gate, paving the way for Fancy Upp to pull off a dramatic 5-1 upset.

Hi Octane Answers the Call in 2026 Local Debut

Returning to the California night life for his first start at the Cypress track this season, Hi Octane showed a ton of fight to claim the evening’s fastest clocking in the second of three trials. Guided by jockey Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo for trainer Kristen Watanabe, the sorrel gelding by Apollitical Jess overcame a slightly slow break to dig deep late, out-nodding Ed Allred’s homebred Hurry Up (:19.924) by a nose, with early speedster French Valley (:19.964) finishing just behind in third. All three runners punched their tickets to the final with three of the four fastest times overall.

"He was a little slow at the break, but later on he responded well and ran a very good race," said Sigala Vallejo, who extended his perfect record at the current Los Alamitos meet to 4-for-4. "He drifted to the right a little bit, but it was just part of the race; it wasn't much. The majority of horses mature, and they start doing things much better. Hi Octane was a little bit difficult last year, but now with age, I think he'll keep running better."

The effort marked a triumphant local return for Hi Octane, who was making his first start at Los Alamitos since his standout juvenile campaign, which included a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Lance and Tammy Finlinson bred Hi Octane.

You Are The Best Dominates Trial 3

In the final trial, the Paul Jones-trained You Are The Best delivered a dominant gate-to-wire performance to secure the second-fastest qualifying time of :19.921. Owned and bred by Bradbury Racing, the Favorite Cartel filly broke sharply under pick-up rider Ricardo Ramirez, took the early lead, and pulled away to win comfortably by a half-length.

Runner-up Cowboy Country 123 (:20.035) and third-place finisher Morning Star K (:20.148) also qualified for the final from this heat.

"She behaved herself tonight," Jones said. "She got a nice break, and Ricardo Ramirez did a good job with the pick-up mount. She got a good, clean trip, and that's all it took. With Bradbury Racing, we've got a long history. Lisa Beauprez and her brother, Tom Jr., and their father, Tom Sr.—we've had a lot of horses together. It's really nice to get a horse in this race for them."

A finalist in the Los Alamitos Oaks earlier this season, You Are The Best earned her third win from 11 starts while maintaining an impressive record of eight top-three finishes.

Fancy Upp Upsets as Doodah Cartel Misses the Final

The night’s biggest surprise unfolded in the sixth race, where two-time 2026 derby winner and 2-5 favorite Doodah Cartel faced early trouble. Doodah Cartel appeared to rub the side of the gate at the break, causing an awkward start that left him with nowhere to run. He finished fifth in :20.312 and missed qualifying for the final.

Capitalizing on a clean trip, Kolleen Ledgerwood’s Fancy Upp broke like a rocket under jockey Cesar Franco to capture the opening trial by a neck in :19.966 at 5-1 odds. Trained by Cesar De Alba, the Favorite Cartel filly held off Woodhouse-Singleton Racing’s Walk When I Walk (:20.008) and Jens List Stakes winner Warmly (:20.015), as all three top finishers from the first trial successfully advanced.

"She had a tremendous start," Franco said. "It was the best start she's had in quite some time, and that was the key to the win. She broke well, she took off, and she didn't stop. She likes the competition. Cesar gave me familiar instructions—he said to warm her up like I have before, and fortunately, that worked. At the end, the others started getting close, but she enjoys the competition and didn't let them past."

The victory marked the fifth major stakes qualification for the Ed Allred-bred Fancy Upp, who previously finished fourth in the Governor's Cup Derby and third in last year's Governor's Cup Futurity.

With multi-derby powerhouse Doodah Cartel out of the picture, the field for the $171,900 final on September 5 is now wide open, setting up a thrilling battle led by trial winners Hi Octane, You Are The Best, and Fancy Upp.

VIEW FULL LIST OF QUALIFIERS HERE. 

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