BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX–OCTOBER 25, 2022–Forty-eight 3-year-olds, topped by multiple Grade 1 winner KJ Desparado, are entered in Saturday's 440-yard Texas Classic Futurity (G1) at Lone Star Park.

A son of world champion Apollitical Jess trained by Wes Giles for owners John Lee, Kathy Lee, and Ruben Mares, KJ Desparado is coming off of a Ruidoso Downs summer campaign during which he won the June 11, $850,000 Ruidoso Derby (G1) and ran second, a neck behind winner A Pollitical Candy V, in the July 23, $645,000 Rainbow Derby (G1).

All told, the gelding has won 10 of 15 races and has earned $2,516,510, and he ended his 2-year-old season with victories in the Grade 1 All American and Texas Classic futurities.

KJ Desparado drew post 8 and will be ridden by Adrian Ramos in the first of five trials.

Other prominent sophomores entered in Saturday's trials include graded stakes winners Favorite Blues Man and Lil Longmire. Trained by Rolando Almanza for owner La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC, Favorite Blues Man is coming off of a clear 1 1/2-length in in the 440-yard, $153,000 Dash For Cash Derby (G2) at Lone Star Park on October 1. The Favorite Cartel gelding drew post 8 and will be ridden by Francisco Calderon in the last heat.

Lil Longmire races for Ben Peterson from the barn of trainer Heath Taylor. A homebred daughter of champion A Revenant and a finalist in the Dash For Cash Derby, the filly has banked $167,064 from eight races this year, and her four wins include a 1 1/2-length victory in the 400-yard, $177,000 Firecracker Derby (G3) at Delta Downs on July 8.

Lil Longmire drew post 6 and will be ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo in the second trial.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the November 19, $412,568 Texas Classic Derby final. The winner's share of the purse will be $183,593.

All Lone Star Park races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.