My Favorite Paris enters the Governor’s Cup Futurity trials after rebounding from a troubled trip in the Kindergarten Futurity with a win in :15.744.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JULY 3, 2026–The trials to the $285,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity is loaded with talent, featuring high-profile sale toppers, experienced stakes performers, and brilliant debut winners looking to regain their shine, all vying for a spot in the prestigious final to be held on California Breeders Champions Night on Sunday, July 26.

Headlining the trials is Rosenthal Ranch’s outstanding colt Sixth Sense. After a rough trip left him sixth in his May 30 debut, the $730,000 Los Alamitos Equine Sale topper rebounded spectacularly. Ridden by champion jockey Eduardo Nicasio for trainer Paul Jones, the son of Favorite Cartel broke cleanly and powerfully pulled away to win by 1 1/4 lengths, stopping the clock in a night's fastest :15.595. A full brother to Grade 1 superstars like Enforce and Cyber Attack, this classy May foal looks set to arrive on the big stage.

Adding further depth to the fields are My Favorite Paris and Contentious. Jerardo Herrera and Larry Stewart’s My Favorite Paris found redemption after a rough Kindergarten Futurity trip by capturing the $30,000 Fred Scane Handicap in :15.744 for the leading trainer/jockey duo of Jose Flores and Irving Lara. Contentious, a Favorite Cartel filly owned by Jose Santos and Manuel Chavez, has quickly become a divisional benchmark. A full sister to Governor’s Cup Derby winner Mask Mandate and out of Champion Quirky, she was the only juvenile of opening weekend to break the 12-second barrier, winning her debut in :11.976. Despite a bobbling start in her Kindergarten trials, she displayed veteran poise to clock the fastest time of the night (:15.678), earning the rare distinction of owning the season's fastest marks at both 220 and 300 yards during the early part of the season.

Keep an eye on the sensational Blackk Maggic as a major wildcard. The Cesar De Alba-trained Favorite Cartel filly overcame a bump in her May 9 debut to win authoritatively by 1 1/4 lengths in a sharp :15.58. She returned in the Ed Burke Memorial trials, finishing second to J. Francisco Diaz’s CV Fdddinasty Shan,who returned to win the final.

Owner Ed Allred holds a powerful hand entering the trials, led by the Scott Willoughby exciting trainee Gorgeous Guy. A gelded son of Golden Boi out of Comely, he lived up to his name with a dominant 1 1/4-length debut win in :12.172. Connections purposely skipped the Kindergarten Futurity to point him directly toward these Governor's Cup trials. "The Golden Bois are all big, smart, and seem to pick things up pretty well," Willoughby noted. "We’re liking him quite a bit."

J. Francisco Diaz’s Dulce Luchadora, who qualified to the Ed Burke final but was scratched from that $966,000 race, returns to action to compete in the trials. His son Lindolfo Diaz will saddle the filly. Diaz will also saddle Silver Racing Farm’s Terrific Favorite, who won his most recent start in spectacular fashion when posting a 2 ¼ length victory on May 30. He’ll take on both Blackk Maggic and Gorgeous Guy in their trial.

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