24 Sophomores Set To Race In Trials To Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby

A tremendous group of 24 three-year-old Quarter Horses will step into the spotlight at on Sunday night, competing at 400 yards in the trials for the Grade 1, $641,950 Los Alamitos Super Derby. Ten coveted spots will be on the line for Los Alamitos’ biggest derby and roll call of sophomore standouts is outstanding. The list will include a pair of champions, multiple Grade 1 winners, and the winners of all the major races for 3-year-olds held at Los Alamitos this season.

Leading the charge into Sunday’s trials are two of the big juvenile starts of 2025, Enforce and Political Twist, whose exploits earned them both national honors during their freshman campaigns. The two will face off in the opening trial on Sunday. They’ll be joined by Beuteeful, who is the top 3-year-old filly at Los Alamitos.

Enforce, honored as AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, returns fresh to Orange County following a light 2026 campaign that includes qualifying for the Grade 1 All American Derby. Owned by West Texas Racing Partners LLC, the Dr. Steve Burns-bred son of Favorite Cartel out of all-time leading dam Remember Me Rose added to an unmatched family legacy last season when he captured the Grade 1, $1,170,950 Golden State Million Futurity. Trained by Christopher O’Dell and ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala, Enforce boasts three wins from ten starts and $647,964 in total bankroll. He joins an elite fraternity of full brothers—including champions Cyber Attack and Powerful Favorite, alongside G1 winners Bomb Cyclone, Runforyourlife, and Cyber Monday—all conditioned by O'Dell. Enforce’s combination of early speed and lineage makes him a dangerous force when fresh.

Equally formidable is Political Twist, the reigning AQHA Champion Two-Year-Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding owned by La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC and Ray Willis. Trained by Manuel Rodriguez, the Apollitical Jess gelding out of C Twister Seis has put together an extraordinary career record of 9 wins from 12 starts with $1,666,759 in earnings. After taking both the Grade 2 West Texas Futurity and Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity last season, Political Twist has continued his reign of success as a sophomore, winning the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby and placing second in the Grade 1 All American Derby. With three wins from four starts and $528,329 earned already this year, Political Twist enters as one of the most prolific big-money performers in the nation.

While the national champions command headlines in the first trial, the local Los Alamitos derby division is stocked with battle-tested stars Doodah Cartel, Hi Octane and Brother Ray, who have spent the season trading victories in the biggest derbies held in Orange County. They’ll face off in the third of three trials.

Doodah Cartel looks to recapture his early-season magic and secure a third derby crown in 2026. Owned by Thompson Racing, Paul Jones, and Alexis Andrade, the Favorite Cartel colt was a dominant force through the spring. After overcoming trouble to capture the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Valentine’s Day, he delivered a blistering :19.606 performance in the Grade 2 El Primero Del Año Derby, becoming just the fourth horse in track history to sweep both races in the same season—joining Headturner (2010), Powerful Favorite (2019), and Tell Cartel (2020). Though he enters off back-to-back losses—a third in the Governor's Cup Derby and an out-of-the-money trial effort—the 6-time winner ($364,353) possesses the elite kick needed to dominate when he secures a clean break.

Coming off a triumph in the Grade 2, $171,900 Golden State Derby is Keith Nellesen’s homebred Hi Octane. Trained by Kristen Watanabe, the sorrel gelding by Apollitical Jess has built a reputation for consistency, scoring six wins in 13 career starts with $338,680 earned. In the Golden State Derby, Hi Octane brushed early before taking control midway through to post a 3/4-length win in :19.591 under veteran jockey Rodrigo Sigala Vallejo.

Also looking to make noise is Brother Ray, trained by Jose Flores for the partnership of Dr. Steve Burns, Gerardo Herrera, Javier Alvarez, and Flores. The Favorite Cartel gelding ($219,469) played spoiler on California Breeders Champions Night by capturing the $160,000 Governor’s Cup Derby (RG2) in :19.846 under Irving Lara. By handing Doodah Cartel his first loss of the year and holding off Mayor Humdinger by a nose, Brother Ray showed that he is a sophomore on the rise.

Hi Octane is the local male star in Nellesen’s barn at Los Alamitos, while his top filly is the multiple Grade 1 winner Beuteeful. The Kristen Watanabe-trainee will be tested against the boys following a pair of star performances against fillies and mares.

An earner of $602,515, Beuteeful certainly arrives in peak form following an authoritative performance in the Grade 1, $100,000 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap. As the lone 3-year-old in a deep field of 10 older mares, Beuteeful broke on the lead under Sigala Vallejo and powered away to a 1¼-length victory in :19.440—the fastest time in the event since 2011. Combined with her earlier victory in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Oaks, Beuteeful has been among the top 3-year-olds, male or female, at the Cypress track since her win in last year’s Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity.

Beyond the top marquee names, the trial entries showcase depth throughout each heat. SM My Valentine, winner of the 2025 Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity, brings proven stakes-winning power in the opening trial, while Fancy Upp, runner-up in the G2 Golden State Derby with $117,805 in earnings, will headline trial number two.

The second trial will also feature by 2025 Holiday Handicap winner Famous Talk, the impressive sprinter owned by Johnny Trotter. He’ll take on a solid cast that also features the stakes winner and Grade 1 stakes finalist SG Jacob Jay, who is owned by Shane Giles.

Other top runners on this big night looking to punch their ticket to the $641,950 final include Shiny New, French Valley, El Dictator, Cowboy Country 123, and many others.

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