LOS ALAMITOS, CA—OCTOBER 13, 2021—Outstanding Quarter Horse racing action continues with trials to the Grade 1, $925,650 Los Alamitos Super Derby topping the marquee on Sunday night.

Five Super Derby trials will be contested and will make up the entire Late Pick Four sequence and the bulk of the Pick Six races.

The list of derby hopefuls is full of standouts with (G1) Los Alamitos Winter Derby winner Flash Bak, (G1) Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap winner Reason To Fly Mv, (G1) Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity winner Apollitical Patty and (G1) Golden State Million Futurity winner Apollitical Gold among the major stakes winners in action.

Thirty-seven sophomores will be divided in the five trials at 400 yards with the horses with the 10 fastest times advancing to the rich final to be held here on Sunday, November 7. The winner of the Super Derby will earn a presumptive berth to the (G1) $600,000 Champion of Champions on December 11.

Owned by Dutch Masters III, Flash Bak is back at Los Alamitos for the first time since defeating All American Derby third place finisher Candy Blood in the Winter Derby on February 13. The runner-up in last year’s Two Million, Flash Bak ran in the All American Futurity last year and in the Rainbow Derby this year. Jaime Gomez trains the son of Moonin The Eagle, who’ll be in action in the opening trial.

Paulo Otavio Freire Macedo’s Reason To Fly Mv and Julianna Hawn Holt’s Apollitical Patty will meet again in the second trial.

The two met in the Mildred Vessels on September 19 on a night in which Reason To Fly Mv flew after the midway point to outfinish foes that include great older mares. The win made the daughter of champion sire Good Reason SA third sophomore since 2007 to win Mildred Vessels. Meanwhile,

Apollitical Patty, a daughter of leading third-crop sire Apollitical Blood will look for an improve performance out of the gate after facing early trouble in her last two starts.

Grant Cox Revocable Trust’s Apollitical Gold is among the horses to have landed at Los Alamitos for these trials. The Eddie Willis-trainee is not a new face here after the son of leading sire Apollitical Jess won the Golden State Million and ran third in the Two Million last year.

Other new arrivals in the trials include big names like All American Derby runner up Favorite Doc; Fallout, the third-place finisher in the Heritage Place Derby, A Dangerous Flash, who ran third in the Grade 1 Rainbow, and Rainbow finalist Troubleshoting.

Apollitical Gold, Troubleshooting, plus two other newcomers, Tuckk and Coronas Big Flash will meet in trial number four. Meanwhile, A Dangerous Flash will join Reason To Fly Mv and Apollitical Patty in the second trial division.

In the opening trial, Flash Bak will be facing a deep and talented group that also includes Monopolist, Constituent and Counting The Way. Ed Allred’s Monopolist will enter the night after looking a juggernaut in the trials to the PCQHRA Breeders Derby.

The son of Favorite Cartel won the race by 1-½ lengths which led to the connections decided to skip the Breeders Derby final to point him to the Super Derby. Trained by James Glenn, Jr., Monopolist won the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity last year and has made the final to the Two Million, Winter Derby and Governor’s Cup Derby.

M&G Farms’ Constituent is another big name in this race after winning the Governor’s Cup Futurity and qualifying to the Golden State Million Futurity last year. In 2021, the colt by Seperate Interest has won three of his four starts with his only blemish of the meet being a runner-up finish in the El Primero.

Owned by a partnership, Counting The Ways has also done well in trial races. He has qualified to every final in all three of his attempts and will enter this trial after running third to Favorite Colossus and Monopolist in the Governor’s Cup Derby. Jose Flores trains the son of Favorite Cartel.

In addition to Flash Bak, Gomez will send out two other top names in the trials in Golden State Million third place finisher J Best Boogie and Los Alamitos Two Million finalist Doc Lamb. J Best Boogie won the Tami Purcell Handicap in her season debut on July 24, but then had a forgettable effort when 10th in the Mildred Vessels. Howard Nichols’ Doc Lamb returns to action since running fifth in the Winter Derby final in mid-February. He has been working nicely for his return and is two for two when looking qualify to stakes races. Doc Lam will take on Favorite Colossus in trial number three, while J Best Boogie will be in action in the fifth and final trial.

Jeff and Michelle Cravens’ Favorite Colossus arrives with a pair of derby wins to his name this year. The Cesar De Alba-trainee beat Monopolist in the Governor’s Cup Derby after winning the El Primero Del Año Derby earlier this year. Also sired by Favorite Cartel, this will be the colt’s first start since the Governor’s Cup on August 1.

Ruben Lozano will the homebred runner from post two. Juniors Quarter Horses’ Favorite Doc, who finished behind Instygator in the All American Derby, returns to Los Alamitos in this trial and will make his first start here since running in the Golden State Million final.

In addition to J Best Boogie, the final heat will also feature Ruidoso Derby finalist Karl Strauss, California Debutante winner Rite On Time, Corona Chick Handicap winner Teller With Candy and recent allowance winner and Oklahoma Derby third place finisher Squid Word.

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For more info, please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.