Los Alamitos opens a short thoroughbred season Friday hoping to live up to the standard set a year ago by its three scheduled stakes races.
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The Bertrando Stakes for California-breds on Saturday, the Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds on June 27 and the Grade II Great Lady M. Stakes for filly and mare sprinters on July 4 had strong winners in Kings River Knight, Nevada Beach and Sweet Azteca in 2025.
Shea Brennan (Armando Ayuso riding) can continue to build his reputation in the Bertrando, a 1-mile race. The Phil D’Amato-trained 4-year-old, competing for the first time since chasing Man O Rose last fall, won his only previous start at this track and distance in the King Glorious Stakes for Cal-bred 2-year-olds in 2024. The five others entered include 8-year-old None Above the Law (Joel Rosario), the 2024 Bertrando winner; in-form 6-year-old Coach Cronin (Mike Smith), the likely frontrunner in his stakes debut; and 4-year-old Speedy Wilson (Ricardo Gonzalez), seeking his first win around two turns.
The Orange County track, which also holds short thoroughbred meets in September and December, will start racing at 1 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through July 5.
NIGHT SCHEDULE CHANGE
Los Alamitos runs its first Grade I futurity of the 2026 quarter-horse season Sunday when the Ed Burke Memorial Futurity features fastest qualifier Zionsville (Cesar Ortega) and Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity winner Call Me Candela (Jose Rosario Alcala).
Los Al, which usually has held day-night doubleheaders on Saturdays and Sundays during its thoroughbred meets, announced it won’t have Saturday-night racing this week or July 4. The remaining doubleheaders will be this Sunday; Saturday-Sunday, June 27-28, and Sunday, July 5.
TITLE FOR SO HAPPY
A press-box poll chose Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy as Horse of the Meet for the Santa Anita season that ended Monday. Emisael Jaramillo was named top jockey, Phil D’Amato top trainer and Hronis Racing top owner.
Recognized as top achievement of the season was trainer Aggie Ordonez bringing the 4-year-old California-bred filly Om N Joy back a week after a last-place finish to win under Kent Desormeaux at 8-1 odds in the Grade II Santa Margarita Stakes.
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Santa Anita reported total wagering of $708.1 million and average daily handle of $9.2 million, both reflecting general declines in recent seasons.
SAFETY WATCH
Shangrilama, a claiming-level 6-year-old mare, became the 11th horse to die in racing and training at Santa Anita between Jan. 1 and June 15 when she was euthanized after being injured while finishing fourth in the ninth race June 11.
That’s four more deaths at Santa Anita than occurred last year in the same span and the most at the Arcadia track since 2020, according to California Horse Racing Board data. Six horses have died in racing and training at Los Alamitos this year, equaling the number between the same dates in recent years. Overall, the 17 deaths in racing and training at Santa Anita and Los Al are the most through June 15 since 2021.
JUAN TO REMEMBER
California jockey Juan Hernandez’s first visit to the Royal Ascot meeting in England got off to a solid start when the 2-year-old filly Ruiva, the 11-1 sixth choice in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes, led in the stretch and held on for third behind winner Victorious and rider Ryan Moore.
Hernandez has two more mounts at Royal Ascot for American trainer Wesley Ward: 12-1 Bacio in Friday’s Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap for 3-year-olds and 8-1 Ez Tina in Saturday’s Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds.
Highlights so far at the prestigious meeting include Scandinavia, a 4-year-old son of Justify, winning the Gold Cup with Moore to give trainer Aidan O’Brien an unprecedented 100th Royal Ascot victory, and Ombudsman, a 5-year-old ridden by William Buick for trainers John and Thady Gosden, repeating in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes.
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Follow horse racing correspondent Kevin Modesti at X.com/KevinModesti.
SANTA ANITA LEADERS
(Final, Hollywood Meet)
Jockeys / Wins
Antonio Fresu / 33
Armando Ayuso / 31
Juan Hernandez / 27
Joel Rosario / 25
Kazushi Kimura / 22
Hector Berrios / 20
Emisael Jaramillo / 20
Ricardo Gonzalez / 19
Tiago Pereira / 13
Kyle Frey / 12
Trainers / Wins
Phil D’Amato / 22
John Sadler / 14
George Papaprodromou / 11
Mark Glatt / 11
Jeff Mullins / 10
Michael McCarthy / 10
Steve Knapp / 10
Doug O’Neill / 10
Mike Puype / 9
Richard Baltas / 9
UPCOMING STAKES
LOS ALAMITOS THOROUGHBREDS
Saturday
• $100,000 Bertrando Stakes, California-bred 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile
LOS ALAMITOS QUARTER HORSES
Sunday
• $960,000, Grade I Ed Burke Memorial Futurity, 2-year-olds, 350 yards
• $25,000 Vandy’s Flash Handicap, 3-year-olds, 350 yards