One Sweet Duck, a multiple stakes performer and runner-up in last year’s Virginia Hyland Stakes, returns to Los Alamitos as a leading contender in Saturday night’s $35,000 feature.

© Sylvia Gonzalez

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–APRIL 8, 2026– A deep and evenly matched field of 10 talented mares will square off in the $35,000 Virginia Hyland Stakes when racing resumes at Los Alamitos on Saturday night. The 350-yard feature is the eighth and final race of an action-packed program that gets underway at approximately 6:00 PM.

Adding to the excitement for horse players, the night features a Pick 6 Carryover of $14,701. With fresh money expected to flood the pool, the total Pick 6 pot is projected to climb toward $90,000. The Pick 6 sequence begins in the third race and concludes with the Virginia Hyland Stakes.

Elite Contenders Take the Spotlight

The Virginia Hyland Stakes has drawn a seasoned group of stakes veterans and rising stars. Leading the charge is the incredibly fast One Sweet Duck, who finished second in last year’s running of this race. A winner of nine career races with earnings exceeding $123,000, the Utah-bred daughter of One Sweet Jess brings a wealth of experience, including 27 career starts and 13 stakes appearances. Owned by Lex Fabrizio and trained by Juan Aleman, she recently enjoyed a four-race win streak, highlighted by an allowance victory on January 25. She won the La Pacifica in 2023 and was second in last year’s running of the Virginia Hyland.

She faces a stiff challenge from Budder Off Friends, the 2023 PCQHRA 3-Year-Old Filly of the Year. Trained by Adan Farias for owner David Hinkins, this standout performer had a career-best season in 2023, earning over $70,000 when she made 12 starts, winning three of those races. Her biggest win that year came in the Go Josie Go Stakes.

The Field is Further Bolstered By:

• Fairlea Flyin: Outstanding in her six career starts at Los Alamitos with four victories. She enters off a February 21st score where she defeated CCR Political Wrap and Budder Off Friends in :17.60. She also outdueled VGK Zigfield Follies last October.

• VGK Zigfield Follies: A consistent performer from the Farias barn who has hit the board in both the Dashingly and Justanold Love Stakes. She was also a finalist in the 2025 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby. She faced older mares when finishing fourth in last year’s Virginia Hyland.

• AJ Flawless: A five-time winner and victor of the Lobo Derby at Albuquerque. Trained by Marc Jungers, she returns to Los Alamitos for the first time since winning an allowance here during her juvenile season.

• Terra Fina: Rounding into peak form following a solid third-place finish in the Grade 3 Denim N Diamonds on February 21.

• Competent: A finalist in the prestigious 2024 Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity, she enters with career earnings of over $73,000.

Here’s the field of 10 from the rail out: Fairlea Flyin, Competent, VGK Zigfield Follies, AJ Flawless, Terra Fina, One Sweet Duck, Budder Off Friends, CCR Political Wrap, Naive, and CM Cowgirls Are Cool.

Between the elite talent on the track and the $14,701Pick 6 carryover, Saturday night at Los Alamitos offers a premier atmosphere for racing fans and handicappers alike.

For more information, visit LosAlamitos.com

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