Niece Laura, a full sister to Grade 1 winner London Toby, headlines a talented field in Sunday's Grade 1 Governor's Cup Futurity.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JULY 24, 2026– The richest jewel of California Breeders Champions Night is the running of the $285,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity (RG1) on Sunday night at Los Alamitos. An exceptional field of eight 2-year-olds—loaded with elite pedigrees—will battle over 350 yards for the season’s top Cal-Bred juvenile title.

Owner Ed Allred and trainer James Glenn Jr. hold a formidable hand with two of the top contenders in Niece Laura and Still Standing.

Niece Laura enters off an eye-opening trial performance where she posted the night's second-fastest qualifying time of :17.731. Ridden to a three-quarter-length victory by Cesar Ortega as a 14-1 longshot, the daughter of Favorite Cartel is out of London Laura and is a full sister to Grade 1 winner London Toby ($361,699). She’ll start from post position six in the final, the farthest outside post she’s drawn in her four career starts. Her best two races have come off the rail, so starting from post six should be right to her liking.

Glenn’s second weapon, Still Standing, stopped the clock in :17.748 after out-dueling fellow finalist Terrific Favorite by a neck. Bred by Steve Burns and James Markum, the Favorite Cartel filly was a $65,000 Los Alamitos Equine Sale purchase. She hails from a legendary female family that includes her granddam, Remember Me Rose, one of the greatest broodmares of all time. Her dam, Remember The Rose, makes Still Standing a half-sister to Ed Burke Million fastest qualifier Zionsville and closely ties her to champions like Cyber Attack ($1.7M) and Powerful Favorite ($1.2M), both out of the great Remember Me Rose.

"We were very high on both of them," Glenn reflected. "Still Standing won her first out and then she ran [fourth] in the Ed Burke trials. She redeemed herself [in the Governor’s Cup trials]. It was kind of the same story with Niece Laura. We were also high on her. In her first couple of races, she didn't fire like we thought she would. Niece Laura’s pedigree and what she’d shown in the mornings really came through. She's the full package."

Still Standing will start from post position three under Oscar Peinado, a winner of 35 stakes races at Los Alamitos. Allred has won the Governor’s Cup Futurity five times previously, and the Hall of Fame owner/breeder will be looking for his first win in the event since She Goes Up in 2021.

Adding big time name recognition is Contentious, who established herself as one of the division’s benchmarks early in the meet by setting the fastest qualifying time to the Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity. Owned by Jose Santos and Manuel Chavez, the blue-blooded Favorite Cartel filly is out of AQHA Champion Aged Mare Quirky ($424,098) and is a full sister to Governor’s Cup Derby winner Mask Mandate. Paul Jones will saddle the two-time winner, who will be ridden by Eduardo Nicasio—the track’s seventh all-time leading jockey in stakes wins with 109.

The competitive lineup is rounded out by Lonely At Night, a Favorite Cartel filly out of matriarch Remember Me Rose; Terrific Favorite, representing the powerful Thermonuclear Energy family; Shes Jess Shinning, a daughter of Mpshinning out of Champion Cartel Jess Rockin ($849,101); Quite Perfect; and Dulce Luchadora.

Trainer Lindolfo Diaz will be chasing his second major futurity win of the year after saddling CV Fdddinasty Shan to victory in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity for his father, owner J. Francisco Diaz. The trainer looks to give his dad another futurity score as he saddles the Foose filly Dulce Luchadora. His best chance to capture the race, however, could come with Silver Racing Farm LLC’s Terrific Favorite, a talented colt who has finished second or better in all three of his career starts.

Lonely At Night, meanwhile, will look to give trainer Mike Casselman his third Governor’s Cup Futurity win. Casselman previously won the race with Mayor Humdinger and You See That—a pair of runners he also owned and bred. Steve Burns owns Lonely At Night.

Fastest qualifier Golden Token and trial winner AP First To Rocket will both miss this race but figure to be back in action later in the year.

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