Los Alamitos Derby Preview: Baffert Leads the Way

CYPRESS, CA – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will saddle 40% of the field as he seeks his fourth straight win in Saturday’s $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby (G3).

The Los Alamitos Derby is a 1 1/8-mile dirt route for 3-year-olds that awards Kentucky Derby (G1) points to the top four finishers on a 20-8-4-2 scale. This year’s edition attracted five entries and is the sixth race on the card with a local post time of 3:28 PM Pacific.

Here is a look at the full field for the Los Alamitos Derby:

1. Cosmo (20/1) – The 5-start maiden chose a tough spot to make his dirt debut for Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, but he showed a sharp turn of foot to finish third, beaten just 3/4 of a length, in a turf mile at Santa Anita Park on June 19. He fired a bullet 4-furlong work in :47.40 on Santa Anita Park’s main track on July 1, proving best of the 30 runners who covered the distance that day.

2. Great Power (6/1) – He flashed signs of greatness while winning his debut last fall, but he went unraced until March 14 when he finished third behind a pair of next-out winners in Charlatan and Rushie. He has struggled to remain healthy, but as a son of the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Blame, he should appreciate the added distance here.

3. Thousand Words (9/5) – The first of two runners hailing from the Baffert barn, he won 3 straight to start his career, including the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) over this course last December. His most recent 2 appearances resulted in terrible off-the-board efforts, but he sheds the blinkers here and has worked sharp leading up to his first start since mid-April

4. Uncle Chuck (6/5) – A sparkling 7-length debut score on June 12 at Santa Anita Park earned Baffert’s second entry a shot at earning Kentucky Derby points here. Top east coast rider Luis Saez is invading southern California to try giving Uncle Chuck’s owners and trainer their third combined Los Alamitos Derby win. Make sure you read his in-depth pedigree analysis regarding his chances of winning the Kentucky Derby.

5. Anneau d’Or (3/1) – He came within a head and a neck of winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) last fall, but he failed to hit the board in all 3 starts this season. He broke his maiden on debut by 8 lengths on turf, so another poor effort here could see him finally return to the grass next time out.