Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks winner Shaken Goin On will head trials for the Grade 2 Southern California Derby on Sunday at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© Amber Mendez

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–NOVEMBER 26, 2025–A fine collection of talented sophomores will get together for the final set of derby trials of the 2025 racing season at Los Alamitos here on Sunday night.

Twenty runners will be split into a pair of 400-yard trials to the Grade 2 Southern California Derby to be held here on the meet’s closing night on Sunday, December 21.

Six of the 20 runners have enjoyed a stakes victory at Los Alamitos this season.

This group includes James Sills and Abel Flores’ Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks winner Shaken Goin On, who has picked up two other stakes victories here while also running third against older rivals in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap.

The other stakes winners that will be in the Southern California Derby trials include EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk, who’ll face Shaken Goin On in the first qualifying heat, while stakes winner Show N Tell Cartel, Defending Champ, Train B Taka and Astronomical 123 will hook up in the second trial.

Trained by Eddie Willis, Shaken Goin On has been outstanding at Los Alamitos. From five local starts here, the Freighttrain B filly has posted four wins with her other two stakes scores coming in the Grade 2 Miss Princess also against older mares back on May 4 and most recently in the Justanold Love Stakes against fillies her age. Justine Klaiber will ride the homebred filly.

Favorite Jesshawk has won six of 16 career starts at Los Alamitos, including the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity last year. During his 3-year-old campaign, Favorite Jesshawk has won the Grade 2 Golden State Derby and finished second to Defending Champ in the Governor’s Cup Derby. Ricardo Ramirez will pilot the colt by A Mere Felix from post number eight for trainer Jesus Nunez.

The second trial is loaded with top runners. Ed Allred’s Defending Champ, who after winning the Governor’s Cup finished second to Favorite Jesshawk in the Golden State Derby final. The owner of one of the strongest finishing kicks in this division, Defending Champ has won five of his eight starts in 2025. He also finished to Shown N Tell Cartel in the El Primero Del Ano Derby.

Owned by Franco Ranch and Mario Tellez Montiel, Show N Tell Cartel was part of a sensational field in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby on November 9. His biggest win of the year was that head victory over Defending Champ in the El Primero. Owned by Cheryl Stokes, Armando Arreola and Tungsten Racing Partnership, Train B Taka is a three-time stakes winner at Los Alamitos and the runner-up in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby. The gelding by Freighttrain B will be making only his second start since August 16 and could return to top four following a fourth-place finish in his Super Derby trial.

Jo Rae Burns’ Astronomical 123 is the other stakes winner in this trial. The gelding by Flying Cowboy 123 won the Town Policy Handicap by head in his last start on November 9. He’s finished in the money in four of six starts this year.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Would you like more industry news delivered directly to your inbox? Click here to sign up.