LOS ALAMITOS, CA—JULY 9, 2020—California’s top sophomores will get together for the trials to the Governor’s Cup Derby on Sunday at Los Alamitos. Fifteen runners will be in action in the two 400-yard trials with the horses with the 10 fastest times advancing to the Governor’s Cup final to be held as part of California Breeders Champions Night on Saturday, July 25.

The second of two trials is loaded with big names headed by Rosenthal Ranch’s Runforyourlife, the winner of the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, Sass Go Blue, the winner of the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, and Cattail Cove, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

Other top names in this heat include Nomadic, the winner of the Ed Burke Memorial Juvenile Stakes last year, and Mister Tornado, the recent winner of the Adequan California Derby Challenge.

Ridden by Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Chris O’Dell, Runforyourlife was second in the Governor’s Cup Futurity and made the final to the Los Alamitos Two Million last year. The Favorite Cartel gelding will return to action for the first time since running third gelding will return to action for the first time since running third in a trial to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on January 18. He’s the richest horse in the trials with $583,753 and has plenty of winning experience after visiting the winner’s circle five times last year.

Link Newcomb’s Cattail Cove crossed the wire behind eventual AQHA champion filly Cartel Jess Rockin in the Los Alamitos Two Million to close out a strong freshman campaign in which he won three races and finished in the money in three other events. He will be making his second start of the year after running in the Vandy’s Flash Handicap at 400 yards on June 28.

Steve Burns and Jose Flores’ Sass Go Blue and Ed Allred’s Nomadic, the fourth and seventh place finishers, respectively, in the Winter Derby, are among the other strong contenders in this trial. Mister Tornado is the horse with the most victories after picking up his sixth career win in the Adequan California Derby final on May 24.

The first trial is wide-open and will include Martha Wells’ Fire By Night, who ran third to stablemate Tell Cartel in the Grade 3 El Primero Del Ano Derby earlier this year.

There are five other stakes runners in this seven-horse field including Grade 1 finalist Just Be Real and Javelina Cantina.

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Courtesy of www.losalamitos.com.