Kindergarten Futurity(G2) winner Double Down 123 will head a strong list of fillies in trials for the Grade 1 $404,000 Los Alamitos Oaks on Saturday night.

© William Zuazo

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–FEBRUARY 29, 2024–Trials to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks, one of the premier races for sophomore fillies in the nation in both purse money and stature, and the Grade 2 El Primero Del Año Derby will headline the 12-race Sunday night program here.

The Oaks trials were moved to Sunday night after the track cancelled the Saturday card due to rain.

The same 25 fillies that were set to race on Saturday came back to compete in the trials on Sunday, however, the races were redrawn creating different trial matchups.

The Oaks trials will be held at 400 yards with the field being headed by graded stakes winner Double Down 123, Holiday Handicap winner Asscher, and Grade 1 stakes finalists Checkn Cartel, Just Watch Her, Southern Divine, and Favorite City.

Three trials, consisting of races 10, 11 and 12 will be contested with the fillies with the 10 fastest times returning for the rich final on Saturday, March 23. The purse for the final will be $404,000, which is the fourth consecutive year that this race has featured a purse of $400,000 or higher.

Last year’s winner, Cartel Kisses, went on to run in the Grade 1 Rainbow Oaks and was third in the Grade 1 All American Oaks, which were both held at Ruidoso Downs.

The 12-race card 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. The card will also include three Pick Four wagers.

The Early Pick Four will feature races 1,2,3,4 with the Middle Pick Four featuring races 5,6,7,8. The Late Pick Four sequence will begin in race 9 and continue with the Oaks trials in races 10,11 and 12.

Now in its second year at a Grade 1 stakes event, the Los Alamitos Oaks will have a list of runners in the trials worthy of its elite stakes grade.

Owned by Randy Young and Taos River Ranch, Double Down 123 was named the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association’s top 2-year-old filly last year after a tremendous campaign in which she defeated males in the Grade 2 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity and then John Deere California Juvenile Challenge.

A daughter of the outstanding young sire Flying Cowboy 123, the Texas-bred filly finished her juvenile campaign with four wins from seven stars and in addition to her two stakes wins she was also third in the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity. Armando Cervantes will pilot her from post four  in the final trial.

Among Arrossa’s other flag bearers for the trials will be three other fillies with impressive local efforts. Levings Racing LLC’s Favorite City, who is a half-sister to the millionaire Apollitical Pence, was sixth in the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity last year.

Favorite City will race in the opening trial, while Dunn Ranch’s Southern Divine will be in action in the second trial. She was second to El Primero trial runner and Grade 1 winner Political Rivalry in the running of the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity last year. Southern Divine also raced in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last year.

Arrossa will also saddle the Idaho-bred M E Ettago Relent, who ran second to Five Bar Supreme in the Restricted Grade 3 Wild West Futurity. The filly by Hes Relentless will face Southern Divine in the first trial. Dave Merritt and Kim Newman own and bred M E Ettago Relent.

Ed Allred’s Just Watch Her, who showed a lot of quickness when running third in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, will face Double Down 123 in the third trial. Trained by Scott Willoughby, Just Watch Her has won three of nine starts and was an allowance winner here earlier in the year. She’s a full sister to 2019 AQHA World Champion He Looks Hot.

J. Francisco Diaz’s homebred Checkn Cartel is among the other top fillies in action in the Oaks trials. A three-time winner from eight starts last year, the daughter of Favorite Cartel was fourth in the Los Alamitos Two Million final and second in the Ah Sigh Handicap. She will be saddled by Lindolfo Diaz when she takes on Favorite City, Asscher and six others in the second trial.

Lance Bland and Jimmy Barton’s FDD Dynasty filly Asscher made herself one to watch in her local debut when she ran a game fourth in her trial to the Two Million final. The Grade 1 Rainbow Futurity finalist then posted a powerful effort when winning the Holiday Handicap on the meet’s opening night on Saturday, December30. The victory also gave trainer Marc Jungers his first training win ever at Los Alamitos.

Other fillies racing in these trials with past graded stakes experience include Ed Burke Million finalist Seperate Heart, Hubba Hubba and AJ Lady Tres.

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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.