The Grade III, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby, which will be run Saturday, July 4, is among the races to be used for the extension of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby’’ announced Churchill Downs Racetrack on Tuesday.
One of two graded stakes – along with the Grade II, $200,000 Great Lady M. (July 4) - to be offered during the upcoming Summer Thoroughbred Festival (June 26-July 5) at Los Alamitos, the Derby is run at 1 1/8 miles. Won a year ago by the Bob Baffert-trained Game Winner, the Los Alamitos Derby winner will receive 20 points, while the runner-up will collect eight, the third-place finisher four and the fourth-place finisher two.
The Los Alamitos Derby is one of three races in California on the preliminary list leading to the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs. The other two local races are the Santa Anita Derby and the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar.
Shared Belief was the winner of the inaugural Los Alamitos Derby in 2014. Other winners – besides Game Winner – include Gimme Da Lute (2015), Accelerate (2016), eventual 3-year-old champion West Coast (2017) and Once On Whiskey (2018).
The Churchill Downs Racetrack press release can be found here. For more information on the Los Alamitos Summer Thoroughbred Festival please call 714-820-2690.
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