Following a sensational runner-up finish in the Grade 1, $415,500 Los Alamitos Oaks on March 28, Randy Dickerson’s CM Jessa Blue Monday returns as the marquee horse in Sunday’s $34,782 Adequan California Derby Challenge.

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By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–MAY 15, 2026– Following a sensational runner-up finish in the Grade 1, $415,500 Los Alamitos Oaks on March 28, Randy Dickerson’s CM Jessa Blue Monday returns as the marquee horse in Sunday’s $34,782 Adequan California Derby Challenge.

The 400-yard feature serves as the ninth and final race on the Los Alamitos card, with the winner earning a coveted berth to the Adequan Derby Challenge Championships at The Downs at Albuquerque on October 17.

In the Oaks, the Oregon-bred daughter of Cyber Monday nearly pulled off another massive upset. Breaking from the outside post at 12-1, she put in a tremendous run under Jesus Rios Ayala to push multiple graded stakes winner Beuteeful to the limit, finishing just a head short of victory. That stellar runner-up effort earned the Oregon-bred $70,635, following a victory in her Los Alamitos Oaks trial at 15-1 odds.

Now boasting top-two finishes in five of her six career starts, the Dickerson homebred stands as the field's leading earner with $83,639 and has been installed as the heavy 4-to-5 morning line favorite.

She will anchor a powerhouse three-horse entry for trainer Luke Lindsey and owner Randy Dickerson. CM Jessa Blue Monday will break from the outside post six, with regular rider Ruben Lozano back in the irons. Lozano has been aboard for both of her career victories.

She will be joined by two talented stablemates: CMthellumwhereyagotit, a sharp debut winner who has finished third in his other two career outings, and CMhowaboutthemcowboy, an eligible maiden looking for his breakthrough victory. Together, this strong trio gives the Lindsey-Dickerson connections an exceptional hand as they aim for Albuquerque.

Michael McKay’s Jess F Y I will look to extend his juvenile stakes success. Trained by Hector Magallanes, the son of Gold Heart Eagle V won the $84,000 Firecracker Futurity at Grants Pass last year, as well as the $52,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge at Emerald Downs. He has hit the board in two of his four outings at Los Alamitos since those wins in the Northwest. Flying Female, a two-time local winner, and HW Tellum Sweetly, a stakes winner at Turf Paradise last December, complete the field.

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