Ed Burke Million Futurity runner-up French Valley is among the 34 juveniles who will compete in four trials for the Governor’s Cup Futurity on Saturday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JULY 4, 2025–The road to California Breeders Champions Night begins on Saturday night with four trials to the Governor’s Cup Futurity and a pair of trials to the Governor’s Cup Derby set to take place as part of the eight-race card. 

The Governor’s Cup Futurity trials will be held at 350 yards and will consist of races 3,4,5,6. A total of 34 juveniles will be in action with the 10 fastest moving on for the final on Champions Night on Saturday, July 26.

Top names in the trials include Ed Burke Million Futurity runner-up French Valley and Ed Burke fourth-place finisher Doodah Cartel.      

Owned and bred by Steve Burns and trained by Mike Casselman, French Valley has posted three outstanding efforts in her career. She was a daylight winner in her debut, ran second to the highly regarded Accelerated in the Ed Burke and then led most of the way in the million-dollar final on the way to super second place finish at 8-1 odds. The Favorite Cartel filly is a half-sister to champion Trane Station V.    

Owned by Thompson Racing, Alexis Andrade and Paul Jones, Doodah Cartel won his Ed Burke trial and then finished strongly to move up from sixth to fourth in the Grade 1 final.  The Favorite Cartel colt won his Ed Burke trial by ¾ lengths and his qualifying time was only 1/100ths of a second slower than French Valley’s clocking. Doodah Cartel will be in action in race three.                                                        

French Valley will take on Beyond Repair in race number four (trial two) with the Fly Thru The Fire gelding entering this race after a ¾ length victory in the Fred Scane Stakes.

Trained by Valentin Zamudio, Beyond Repair was also the fastest qualifier to the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity and the fifth-place finisher in the Kindergarten final. Other top names in the trials include a pair of Ed Burke trial winners, Ed Allred’s Next Norco and the Burns-trained Brother Ray. 

The Governor’s Cup Derby trials will be headed by EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk, the winner of the Governor’s Cup Futurity last year.

Walking Tool, who posted victories in his first four career starts and was a finalist to the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, will take on Favorite Jesshawk in the opening derby heat.

Dunn Ranch’s Up To Party, who won the 2024 Ed Burke Million and PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, will also be in action in this strong trial.

Allred’s Defending Champ, runner-up in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, is the top name in the other trials. Stakes finalists Party Time Tom, Listen Now and Snow Bound are among the other top derby hopefuls.

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For more information, please get in touch with larace@losalamitos.com. You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.

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