Grade 2 winner Political Rivalry is among 22 sophomores that will contest trials to the $204,200 El Primero Del Ano Derby on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–FEBRUARY 29, 2024–Keith Nellesen’s Political Rivalry, a multiple graded futurity winner at Los Alamitos in 2023, and Jorge Carmona’s Five Bar Supreme, also a futurity winner here last year, are among the 22 sophomores that will race in the trials to the $204,200 El Primero Del Ano Derby on Sunday at Los Alamitos.

The runners in the El Primero trials will be divided into three trials and were carded as races 7,8 and 9 on the 12-race card. The evening’s action will also feature trials to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks.

Sunday’s Pick 6 will feature an all-Quarter Horse Pick Six sequence featuring the three El Primero trials and three Oaks trials. All six races in the sequence will be contested at 400 yards.

Five Bar Supreme, winner of the (RG3) Wild West Futurity and runner-up in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last year, will headline the opening trial. Trained by Lindolfo Diaz, he’ll enter this race after posting a 350-yard gate drill in :18.10 on January 31.

Sired by Carmona’s stallion, Five Bar Cartel, the gelding won six of his nine starts during his juvenile campaign. The opening heat will also feature Foosea, who ran third in last Sunday’s $115,000 Maiden Stakes.

Political Rivalry was named the meet’s top 2-year-old gelding last year after winning the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. He loved the Los Alamitos winner’s circle, visiting it in six of his seven starts. Heath Taylor trains the son of Kvn Corona, who Nellesen campaigned here with great success.

Kvn Corona won the Ed Burke Million, PCQHRA Breeders Futurity and the El Primero during his racing career. Political Rivalry has already won two of those races and will look to match his sire’s trifecta with a win in the El Primero.

The final trial will include Jim Schlagel’s multiple Grade 1 stakes finalist  Optical Illusion and Parsons Ranch’s Ed Burke finalist Kevins Wise Corona.

The runners with the 10 fastest times will return here for the final on Sunday, March 24.

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For more info' please contact larace@losalamitos.com. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @losalracing or visit us online at www.losalamitos.com.