Grade 1 Winners Headline Trials To $193,400 Golden State Derby

LOS ALAMITOS, CA–AUGUST 15, 2024–Major graded stakes winners BP Cartel Policy, Political Rivalry, and Mask Mandate will headline a strong lineup of sophomores set for action in trials to the Grade 2, $193,400 Golden State Derby at 400 yards on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

A total of 23 top runners will be divided into three trials, with the horses with the ten fastest times returning for the Golden State Derby final on Saturday, September 7. The trials will consist of races 6,7 and 8 during the nine-race card, which will also feature the running of the $25,000 Florentine Stakes for fillies and mares.

Top billing in the derby trials goes to Bill Price’s BP Cartel Policy, thanks to his sensational 2024 campaign in which he’s gone a perfect three-for-three so far, with every victory even more impressive than his last. He’ll be in action in the second of three trials and will start from post number two, with Armando Cervantes handling the reins for trainer Monty Arrossa.

BP Cartel Policy was the fastest qualifier to the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby earlier this year thanks to a ¾ length win and then returned with an even better effort to win the Winter final by ¾ lengths with an even faster time, as he improved from a:19.861 trial clocking to a:19.688 in his derby win. After some well-deserved time off, BP Cartel Policy returned on May 11 to score a dominant 2 ½ win in the Dillingham Handicap at 400 yards.

After winning the Dillingham, BP Cartel Policy took another break and now returns after posting a:12.2 gate work at 220 yards on July 27. Sired by Favorite Cartel and out of the Corona Cartel mare CC Policy, BP Cartel Policy will look to boost his resume even more while looking for a big effort in the Golden State Derby trials.

Owned by the partnership of Paul Blanchard, Guadalupe Bujanda, Jose Flores, and Santos Montemayor, Mask Mandate will face BP Cartel Policy in the second trial but enters in the form of his life after enjoying the biggest win of his career. The son of Favorite Cartel won the Governor’s Cup Derby on July 27 at 14-1 odds, which was also a special win for Flores as it marked his 100th Quarter Horse stakes victory at Los Alamitos. Out of the AQHA champion mare Quirky, Mask Mandate will start from post three with Cruz Mendez up.

This trial looks to be the toughest of the night as it will also feature Rockin With Energy and Cheater, a pair of winners on California Breeders Champions Night on July 27. On that night, Parsons Family Limited Partnership’s Rockin With Energy was spectacular, as she won the Debutante Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies by 1 ¼ lengths. The daughter of Parsons Rock ran second to Political Rivalry in last year’s Ed Burke.

Ed Allred’s Cheater was also a standout on California Breeders Champions Night, as he took home the top prize in the Jens List Memorial Stakes for sophomores. Cheater won the Jens List by 1 ¼ lengths.

Keith Nellesen’s Political Rivalry is back in California after running in the trials to the Grade 1 Ruidoso Futurity in New Mexico and will be in action in the third and final trial. Political Rivalry was fourth in his Ruidoso trial and missed advancing to the final, but he showed he’s ready to regain his winning form after posting a bullet gate work in:17.9 at 350 yards on July 27. Political Rivarly’s last start at Los Alamitos was an off-the-board finish in the El Primero Del Ano Derby final on March 24.

Prior to that rare out-of-the-money local finish, the son of KVN Corona had won seven of his first eight starts at Los Alamitos. Wins in the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Futurity were among his big scores last year. Jose Nicasio will ride Political Rivalry for trainer Heath Taylor from post number four in this final trial heat.

There are a ton of other classy horses in these trials led by 2023 Grade 1 futurity finalists Kevins Wise Corona, Change Happens Heza Good Reason, HRH Royar Cartel, and Think Again Kev, just to mention a few more.

Also in action will be Mike Casselman’s You See That, winner of the Governor’s Cup Futurity, who exits the Governor’s Cup Derby final and will be part of the opening trial. His rivals in this heat will include Kickin Famous, who raced in the El Primero and Los Alamitos Winter Derby, plus Optical Illusion and Think Again Kev, the only runners in the Golden State Derby trials which competed in last year’s Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Optical Illusion was third to champion Trane Station V in the Two Million. Other top contenders in the opening trial include Freddie and HRH Royal Cartel.

FRIVOLOUS AMONG NINE IN FLORENTINE STAKES

Clanfield Act Stables’ multiple stakes winner, Frivolous, will head a field of nine top fillies and mares in the running of the $25,000 Florentine Stakes at 350 yards on Saturday night at Los Alamitos.

A full sister to star runners like Grade 1 winner Sicario V and Grade 2 winner Monopolist, Frivolous will be in action for the first time since running in the Denim N Diamonds Handicap on February 24. Before that outing, Frivolous won the Dashingly Handicap on January 6, and she also won the Governor’s Cup Futurity last year.

Sired by Favorite Cartel and out of the top broodmare Nymph, Frivolous will enter this race after posting a solid 18.0 gate work on July 27. Frivolous, the four-time winner and $209,837 earner, could give trainer Felix Gonzalez a special win. A well-liked trainer among his peers, Gonzalez, affectionally known as “Pelillo,” is one win shy of 1,000 total combined wins at Los Alamitos with his Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. He’s trained Frivolous throughout her entire racing career.