DOUBLE PICK SIX CARRYOVER ($58,051) ON CLOSING DAY SUNDAY
There were no perfect Pick Six tickets Saturday, so there will be a two-day carryover of $58,051 Sunday at Los Alamitos, closing day of the Los Angeles County Fair meet. The primary catalyst for the carryover was Oobubbakakayo, who posted an $84 surprise in Saturday’s fourth race, the first in the Pick Six sequence. Cesar Belmont was aboard the 5-year-old Smiling Tiger gelding for owner Lisbeth Medina and trainer Genaro Vallejo.
Since Sunday wraps the nine-day meet, there will be mandatory payoffs in the Pick Six, Players’ Pick 5 (Races 1-5) and the Super High Five (Race 11). The Pick Six begins in Sunday’s sixth race. Post time is 1 p.m. and scheduled post time for the sixth is 3:19 p.m.
SWEET AZTECA WINS THIRD GREAT LADY M STAKES
There was no track record this time around, but the result was the same for a third year in a row in the $201,000 Great Lady M. Stakes Saturday at Los Alamitos.
Heavily-favored Sweet Azteca became the first three-time winner of the Grade II, which has been run in Orange County since 2014 and previously as the Sequoia Handicap (1941-1978) and A Gleam Handicap (1979-2013) at Hollywood Park.
Making her first start since winning the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Handicap last Aug. 24 at Del Mar, the 6-year-old Sharp Azteca mare broke sharply from the rail, easily dispatched of early pace rival A.Z. Wildcat and was never seriously menaced in the stretch while prevailing by 1 ¼ lengths.
Owned by breeder Pamela Zeibarth and trained by Richard Baltas, Sweet Azteca broke the track record for 6 ½ furlongs in 2024, completing the distance in 1:14.33. She outdid herself 12 months later as she was clocked in 1:14.32.
She reported home in 1:15.67 Saturday and is now 8-for-10 lifetime with earnings of $887,200.
Out of the Grand Slam mare So Sweetitiz, Sweet Azteca paid $3.40 and $2.40 as the 7-10 choice in the field of seven. There was no show wagering.
“We got it done,’’ said Baltas. “It’s great to have a mare like this. Hopefully we can regroup and get her ready for the Breeders’ Cup ($1 million Filly and Mare Sprint Oct. 31 at Keeneland). We’ll try to map it right to get her there.
“It’s a big relief and we’re very happy and excited. She got a little tired at the end, but it didn’t matter. I think she was 90% today.
“You don’t want to be on the inside, but she breaks well all the time and she has so much natural speed and she was good and quiet in the gate. It was a real special day.’’
Jockey Armando Ayuso, who collected his second stakes win of the LACF meet after winning the $100,000 Bertrando with Shea Brennan two weeks prior, was happy for the opportunity to ride Sweet Azteca for the first time. He inherited the mount because regular jockey Juan Hernandez is serving a suspension he received for an infraction while competing at Royal Ascot last month.
“I was able to work her twice and she’s the same in the morning as she is in the afternoon,’’ said Ayuso. “There was some concern about her being fit enough, but she’s just an amazing mare.’’
Magnificat, the 6-1 fourth choice trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, completed the exacta, finishing three-quarters of a length in front of 5-1 thtrd choice Nooni, who was making her first start since finishing fifth in the Grade II Starlet Dec. 7, 2024.
This was the second year in a row Mandella was runner-up in the Great Lady M. He also trained Kopion, who was favored in 2024. Magnificat, who captured the Desert Stormer June 11 at Santa Anita, returned $4.20 to place.
Heading into the final day of the season, Ayuso and Edgar Payeras share the top spot in the jockey standings. Both have eight wins, one more than Kazushi Kimura and Ricky Gonzalez.
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and Peter Miller are tied for the lead in the trainer standings with five wins apiece. Jesus Urange and Genaro Vallejo both have four victories.
Post time for closing day Sunday is 1 p.m. There will be mandatory payouts in all wagers, including the 50-cent Players’ Pick 5, the $2 Pick Six and the $1 Super High Five, which is offered on the final race daily.
The Pick 5 will be on Races 1-5 while the Pick Six, which has a two-day carryover of $58,051, covers races 6-11.
SABINO CANYON GIVES BAFFERT 10TH CONSECUTIVE LOS ALAMITOS DERBY WIN
A twice-defeated maiden was good enough to keep Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s win streak alive in the $100,000 Los Alamitos Derby Saturday.
Sabino Canyon, the 9-5 second choice in the field of five, gave Baffert his 10th consecutive win in the local Derby, a streak that began with West Coast (2017) and continued with Once On Whiskey (2019), Uncle Chuck (2020), Classier (2021), High Connection (2022), Reincarnate (2023), Wynstock (2024) and Nevada Beach a year ago.
The victory was the fifth in the Los Alamitos Derby for Sabino Canyon’s ownership group of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. They also campaigned 2015 winner Gimme Da Lute, Once On Whiskey, Uncle Chuck and Nevada Beach.
Ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, Sabino Canyon, a Maxfield colt out of the Quality Road mare Broadway Play got the best of 3-5 favorite Start the Ride in the closing yards after a stretch long battle to prevail by a half-length.
A $575,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale in 2024, Sabino Canyon trailed throughout when debuting on turf at one mile March 20, then showed improvement when moved to the dirt, finishing fourth of six in a maiden contest dominated by favored Decisive Win.
“We just kind of threw this horse in there,’’ said Baffert assistant Mike Marlow. “It is hard to say what he is. He showed nothing in his first race on dirt and next time he just kind of ran even.
“We just told (Gonzalez) to get him away running and put him on cruise control and see what happens. He’s definitely improved and he ran a good race.’’
The $60,000 payday pushed Sabino Canyon’s earnings to $64,400 and he completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.45. He paid $5.60 and $2.60. There was no show wagering.
Gonzalez, who was Sabino Canyon’s third different rider, was glad to be aboard for the colt’s initial score.
“I watched his races and had a lot of confidence,’’ he said. “I tried to put him in the race from the start. He was a little green in the stretch, but he gave me a real nice finish.’’
Start the Ride, who was seeking his second Derby success of 2026 after capturing the California Cup Derby Jan. 17 at Santa Anita, had a one-length lead with an eighth of a mile to run after taking over from pacesetter Southern Melodee after six furlongs, wound up 2 ½ lengths in front of 5-1 third choice Fionello. The place price on Start the Ride was $2.10.
Southern Melodee and Fuego Del Sol completed the order of finish.
Earlier in the afternoon, jockey Umberto Rispoli was a winner with his first mount back after sustaining multiple injuries in a Gulfstream Park mishap Jan. 24.
Rispoli captured the fourth race with 3-5 favorite Faran for Baffert and Zedan Racing Inc. A $3.4 million purchase a yearling in 2024, the Not This Time colt out of the Tiznow mare Kayce Ace covered the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.74 while defeating 3-1 second choice Noble Testament by 1 ¾ lengths.
The win was the third for Baffert with a first-time starter in the first five days of the Los Angeles County Fair meet. His previous victories came with Rabeeba (June 19) and Hughes (June 21).
Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 1 p.m.
AVILA AND MOUNT WIN THE NHC SEATS AT LOS ALAMITOS
Thank you to all the wonderful horseplayers who participated in our on-track NHC Qualifier. Congrats to Jason Avila and Michelle Mount. They win the seats to the 2027 NHC! Daniel Delgado and Evan Littman finished 3rd and 4th and Radar Rob Talstra is the King of the Churn!
1-2 FINISH IN BERTRANDO STAKES FOR ALEXANDER-D’AMATO;
SHEA BRENNAN LEADS THROUGHOUT TO SCORE IN HIS 2026 BOW
The $100,000 Bertrando Stakes could not have worked out any better for owner-breeder Nick Alexander and trainer Phil D’Amato Saturday at Los Alamitos. Not only did Shea Brennan win the race in gate-to-wire fashion in his 2026 debut, Speedy Wilson completed the exacta at a distance that isn’t his best in the one-mile contest restricted to 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California.
A son of Tough Sunday and the Old Topper mare Carrie Rose, Shea Brennan, the 5-2 third choice in a field of five reduced by the scratch of None Above the Law, took command immediately under jockey Armando Ayuso in his first start in more than seven months.
“I thought Shea Brennan would be tracking the pace, but the horse was so sharp (Ayuso) made the right move to just go on with it and not fight him,’’ said D’Amato. I thought coming off the layoff that was a pretty good performance.
“He likes this track and was a stakes winner over it previously – the 2024 King Glorious at the Bertrando distance – and that definitely helped the cause.’’
D’Amato indicated Shea Brennan, who has won four of 11 and earned $347,530, might jump into deeper water next month at Del Mar.
“I think this race might merit a start in something like the (Grade II, $300,000) San Diego (Handicap July 18).
“Speedy Wilson’s race was good, but he’s really better at seven-eighths. I’ve been trying to get him in some other races that didn’t go, so instead of keeping him in the barn for five more weeks we ran him here and got a race into him, a check and a good second, so we’ll look for a good spot around one turn for him at Del Mar.’’
Shea Brennan, who defeated his stablemate by 3 ¼ lengths, completed the eight furlongs in 1:35.67 and paid $7.60, $3.20 and $2.20.
Speedy Wilson wound up three-quarters of a length in front of 11-10 favorite Coach Cronin, who was seeking his fourth consecutive victory, and returned $2.80 and $2.10. The show price on Coach Cronin was $2.10.
Whiskyginandbrandy and Barely Funtional completed the order of finish. Tiago Pereira, the rider aboard Whiskyginandbrandy, lodged an objection against Hall of Famer Mike Smith, who rode Coach Cronin, for alleged interference on the far turn, but it was dismissed by the stewards.
Earlier in the afternoon, jockey Julien Leparoux, who recently shifted his tack to Southern California, earned his first Los Alamitos victory when he guided Big Reflections to a half-length win in the second race.
Leparoux picked up the ride on the 4-year-old Mr. Big gelding from Joel Rosario, who was off his mounts Saturday.
LOS ALAMITOS THOROUGHBRED MEET BROADCAST
TO INCLUDE GRAPHIC SHOWING PROJECTED CLOSING ODDS
The LACF Meet at Los Alamitos will feature an informational graphic on the track’s simulcast broadcast showing projected closing odds for win wagers on selected races based on a mathematical calculation using Will Pays for that given race.
The graphic will be branded at Los Alamitos as the “In Play” Projected Closing Odds, and will be based on Will Pays, particularly Pick 3s and Pick 4s, which are thought to be reliable indicators of a horse’s actual closing odds. During its Thoroughbred Meet, the track will be showing these “In Play” projected closing odds starting with the third race on Friday’s opening day card. The “In Play” graphic will be available shortly after the previous race has been run.
“We’ll be offering these projected odds on our simulcast feed with an easy-to-read graphic,” said Orlando Gutierrez, the marketing director at Los Alamitos Race Course. “We feel that giving horse players more information is a plus and from there each bettor, individually, can determine whether this information is helpful to their handicapping and wagering practices."
The LACF Thoroughbred Meet will open on Friday, September 11. The first post each day will be at 1 p.m. For more information, please visit LosAlamitos.com.