Ed Burke Million Futurity (G1) runner-up Rockin With Energy will head the opening derby trial for the Grade 1, $174,200 Los Alamitos Winter Derby trials on Saturday night.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–JANUARY 25, 2024–Headed by Grade 1 stakes placed runners Rockin With Energy, Optical Illusion and Kevins Wise Corona, 22 sophomores will be in action in a trio of trials to the Grade 1, $174,200 Los Alamitos Winter Derby trials on Saturday night.

The trials will be conducted at the 400-yard distance with the runners with the 10 fastest times advancing to the Winter Derby final on Saturday, February 17. In addition to aforementioned Grade 1 runners, the list of contenders will also include Wyoming Futurity winner Pappas Fame, Heritage Place Futurity finalist BP Cartel Policy, California Breeders Freshman Stakes winner Ready For It, and the stakes placed Angel Soul.

Owned by Parsons Family Limited Partnership, Rockin With Energy will head the opening derby trial in race number seven on Saturday. The homebred filly sired by Parsons Rock hit the board in all five of her starts last year with her second-place finish to Political Rivalry in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity serving as her personal highlight of 2023.

Trained by Paul Jones, Rockin With Energy also won trials to the Ed Burke and the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, although she missed making the finals to this track’s richest race.

Rockin With Energy will face Andrea and Eddie Jensen’s Pappas Fame in the opening trial. In addition to taking the $200,000 Wyoming Futurity, the Pappasito gelding started his career by winning his first six starts.

That streak included three consecutive wins by daylight led by a 1 ¼ length decision in the Powder River Wyoming Bred Futurity. Cruz Mendez, last year’s leading Quarter Horse rider at Los Alamitos, will pilot the Monty Arrossa-trained runner.

Racing for the first time as a gelding, BP Cartel Policy will start from the outside post number seven while looking for his first victory since scoring in his trial to the Heritage Place Futurity. After recording a ½ length win in that trial, the Bill Price-owned runner finished strongly when fifth to San Lencho in the Heritage Place final.

The second trial figures to be a wide-open contest. Juniors Quarter Horses’ Ready For It won the Freshman Stakes on California Breeders Champions Night and will be looking to regain his winning form after finishing out of the money in his Los Alamitos Two Million trial. Armando Cervantes will ride the Arrossa-trainee. This trial will also feature Rancho El Cabresto’s Remember John, a two-time winner last year, and CD Horses Inc’s Angel Soul, who was third in the $50,000 Los Alamitos Two Million Juvenile Invitational.

The trials will wrap up with Jim Schlagel’s Optical Illusion and Parsons Ranch’s Kevin Wise Corona leading the way in race number nine. Optical Illusion qualified to three graded futurities last year highlighted by his third-place finish to AQHA champion 2-year-old colt Trane Station V in the Two Million Futurity final.  Trained by Paul Jones, Optical Illusion also raced in the Governor’s Cup Futurity and the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity last year.

Jones will also saddle Kevins Wise Corona, who finished third just behind his stablemate Rockin With Energy and winner Political Rivalry in the Ed Burke Million. Others in this final heat include Dunn Ranch LLC’s Luxury Brand, who has finished third or better in all five of his career starts, and Teller Arizona MRL, who ran third in the Takin On The Cash Handicap last year.

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