Doodah Cartel and jockey Henry Reynoso Lopez remained undefeated in 2026 while posting the fastest qualifying time for the $160,000 Governor's Cup Derby on July 5 at Los Alamitos Race Course.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JULY 5, 2026–Coming off a 97-day layoff, the central question surrounding Doodah Cartel was whether the division’s undisputed king would maintain his flawless form. The superstar colt by Favorite Cartel answered with absolute authority, turning back a strong field of sophomores to post the fastest qualifying time of :19.656 for the $160,000 Governor’s Cup Derby.

The victory keeps Thompson Racing, Paul Jones, and Alexis Andrade’s homebred a perfect five-for-five in 2026. Chasing his third major derby trophy of the year, the Thompson and Jones homebred showed zero signs of rust under jockey Henry Reynoso Lopez. After dueling early, Doodah Cartel began pulling away past the midway point of the 400-yard trial, crossing the wire a half-length ahead of closest pursuer Mayor Humdinger.

“He was out 97 days before this last race,” co-owner Terry Thompson said. “He was in such good form, and then we turned him out for a little bit of time because it's going to be a long campaign all the way until the end of the year. You hope they come back still ready to run, and he showed us tonight that he is ready to run. He loves what he does. Paul said he had been training great. Henry loved the workout even though it wasn't very fast—it was 18.5 [at 350 yards]. He was still happy with that workout. If Henry's happy, then Paul is happy, and then I'm happy.”

Mike Casselman’s Mayor Humdinger, the 2025 Governor's Cup Futurity winner, proved he remains a major threat by chasing the favorite down the lane. His gritty runner-up performance earned him the night's second-fastest qualifying time of :19.716. The son of Mpshinning will be looking to sweep the Governor’s Cup Derby series.

In the evening's other trial heat, the resilient Brother Ray secured his ticket to the Governor’s Cup Derby final with a professional victory. Owned by Steve Burns, Jose Antonio Flores, Gerardo Herrera, and Javier Alvarez, the Favorite Cartel colt took charge early to win by three-quarters of a length, stopping the timer in :19.730 for the third-fastest overall mark. He was closely pursued by the elite filly Shiny New, who validated her against the boys to claim her spot in this summer derby.

For the Terry Thompson, the upcoming July 26 final will be an opportunity to add another nice victory to their great record on California Breeders Champions Night. “The Governor's Cup is pretty special for us,” Thompson noted. “I've had some horses that have run well for us on that night—Hes Regal, That Rico, Shescheckinumout, and other horses. We hope we'll continue to have success and do what we do.”

Here’s the complete list of qualifiers: Doodah Cartel (:19.656), Mayor Humdinger (:19.716), Brother Ray (:19.730), Shiny New (:19.823), Mastros (:19.859), Walk When I Walk, (:19.876), French Valley (:19.911), Hurry Up (:19.925), Slatedtoshine (:19.983), and Fancy Upp (:20.099).

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