Champion of Champions Field To Be Completed In Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials On Sunday At Los Alamitos

With two possible berths on the line for the Grade 1 Champion of Champions, seven outstanding Quarter Horses will be looking to secure their spots in the 440-yard race when they face off in the $20,000 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

The field for the 400-yard race has nine horses entered, but two of the entrants, Norco and Favorite Jesshawk, have already earned berths to the Champion of Champions, to be held here on Saturday, December 12.

In addition to Norco and Favorite Jesshawk, the following horses have also earned presumptive berths to the Champion of Champions: Lethal Cowboy 123, KJ Desparado, Gf Shes Sinful, Mask Mandate, Political Twist, Beuteeful, and Effortless Favorite. Effortless Favorite is the only one of these horses currently not on the grounds at Los Alamitos, which opens the possibility that a second berth is up for grabs on Sunday night. The Z. Wayne Griffin always offers at least one berth to the Champion of Champions.

From among the seven that are still vying for a Champion of Champions spot, the horse with the fastest time will earn the presumptive invite to Quarter Horse racing’s most prestigious race. If additional spots open up, then the horses with the next-fastest times will earn the invitations.

The list of hopefuls is headed by Gene Cox’s homebred Toastin Heros, a 4-year-old gelding by Valiant Hero, who began his 2026 campaign with a victory in the Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park at 440 yards on February 7. Toastin Heros followed that victory with a ¾-length win in the Restricted Grade 1 Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes at Remington Park. His other three outings have all come against some of the best fields of older runners seen in 2026. Those included a second-place finish in the Grade 1 All American Gold Cup, a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Albuquerque Fall Championship, and a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Debbie Schauf Invitational Remington Park Championship. A winner in eight of 20 career starts, Toastin Heros has earned $297,100 of his $484,747 in career earnings in 2026. He’ll start from post number three.

Stephen Harris’ Paradise Pete won the All American Gold Cup by ¾ of a length over Toastin Heros and has been at his best in his last four starts at The Downs at Albuquerque. Since the 4th of July, the Maryland-bred runner by Flying Cowboy 123 has won a top-level allowance race, won the Grade 2 Mr Jet Moore, scored his Gold Cup win, and then ran fourth after bumping in the Albuquerque Fall Championship. Top rider Jesus Rios Ayala will pilot the Harris-bred winner of seven races and $284,493. Diego Cervantes will saddle Paradise Pete from post number eight.

Ruben Mares and Kathy and John Lee’s KJ Born To Be Wild does have racing experience at Los Alamitos after running a game third in the Grade 1 Robert Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship. The Jason Giles trainee had previously raced at Albuquerque, and his efforts there included a third-place finish in the Mr Jet Moore. The 4-year-old son of Apollitical Jess ran second in the Grade 1 Texas Classic Derby and third in the Grade 1 All American Derby last year. Eduardo Nicasio will ride him from post six.

Outlaw Farms LLC’s Midnite Smokin is another star making his second local start. Trained by James J. Gonzales II, the sophomore gelding will be looking for an improved performance after running fourth in the Azure Three Stakes at 220 yards. Prior to his Los Alamitos debut, he ran fourth to Effortless Favorite in the All American Derby and second to Political Twist in their All American trial. Christian Cardenas will ride the gelding by The Marfa Lights from post number four.

Equestix Consulting LLC’s Invasive won the Azure Three thanks to a sensational finish and now faces the strongest field of his career. The son of Favorite Cartel does have good experience at 440 yards, having won a trial to the Rainbow Derby last year and most recently finishing third in the Grade 3 AQHA Racing California Challenge Championship. Valentin Zamudio will saddle Invasive, who’ll be ridden by Ruben Lozano.

Link Newcomb’s Cattail Cove, who at the age of nine is the oldest horse in the Z. Wayne Griffin Directors Trials, will be making his 65th career start while hoping for a return trip to the Champion of Champions after participating in the 2022 running. The venerable runner is also only $1,470 away from going over the $900,000 mark in career earnings. The Steve Burns-bred runner is certainly the Cinderella story of this race.

Ed Allred’s Up For Everything will be looking to join his stablemate Norco in the Champion of Champions field. Trained by Scott Willoughby, Up For Everything was seventh to Norco in the Robert Boniface, but earlier this year he won the Restricted Grade 1 Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship. Meanwhile, Norco and Favorite Jesshawk are surely using this race as a tune-up for the big one, the Champion of Champions, less than a month away. The field from the rail out is as follows: Invasive, Favorite Jesshawk, Toastin Heros, Midnite Smokin, Cattail Cove, KJ Born To Be Wild, Up For Everything, Paradise Pete, and Norco.

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