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Los Alamitos Summer Thoroughbred Meet To Include Two Graded Stakes

Three stakes – including a pair of graded events – worth $450,000 highlight the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

The seven-day meet is scheduled to begin Friday, June 25, and continue through Monday, July 5. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday (June 25-27) the first week and Friday-Monday (July 2-5) the second. Post time will be 1 p.m. PT.

The richest event on the calendar is the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes for fillies & mares at 6 ½ furlongs. Captured by 7-1 shot Sneaking Out in 2020, the Great Lady M. will be offered Monday, July 5.

Besides Sneaking Out, the five other winners of the Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos are Doinghardtimeagain (2014), Fantastic Style (2015), Eclipse Award winner Finest City (2016), Skye Diamonds (2017) and Marley's Freedom (2018-2019).

The other graded race is the Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby, which was won a year ago by the Bob Baffert-trained Uncle Chuck. Baffert has won the nine-furlong contest for 3-year-olds, which will be run Saturday, July 3, five times since daytime thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in 2014, including the last four renewals.

Before Uncle Chuck, the Derby was won by Shared Belief (2014), Gimme Da Lute (2015), Accelerate (2016), eventual 3-year-old champion West Coast (2017), Once On Whiskey (2018) and Game Winner (2019).

The other stakes on the schedule is the $100,000 Bertrando for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California. The one-mile race – which returns to its original name (2014-2019) honoring the multiple graded stakes winner and champion older male of 1993 after being contested as the Soi Phet in 2020 – will be run Saturday, June 26.

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Sneaking Out Auditions For Breeders’ Cup In Saturday’s Thoroughbred Club Of America

Kevin Nish's KMN Racing's homebred filly Sneaking Out has not been sneaking up on anyone in her past two starts and that is one of the reasons trainer Jerry Hollendorfer shipped her to Keeneland from her Southern California base for Saturday's 40th running of the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) going 6 furlongs on the main track.

“This filly has won two graded stakes, and we felt like she deserved a shot against the best,” Hollendorfer said from Los Alamitos Wednesday morning. “It is an important race before the Breeders' Cup.”

The California-bred daughter of Indian Evening won the Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos on July 4 and then the Rancho Bernardo (G3) at Del Mar on Aug. 21. Both races were at 6½ furlongs.

Sneaking Out has compiled a record of 12-6-4-0, and Hollendorfer feels she is at the top of her game.

“I think so,” Hollendorfer said of Sneaking Out, whose most recent work at Los Alamitos was six furlongs out of the gate in 1:11.60. “Her rider (Umberto Rispoli) is very keen on her and loved her race at Del Mar.”

Rispoli, who was aboard Sneaking Out in a race for the first time at Del Mar, has the mount Saturday.

Sneaking Out arrived at Keeneland Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning took a trip through the Paddock and then jogged.

The TCA is a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be run here Nov. 7.

“Right now, we are not looking past Saturday,” Hollendorfer said, regarding whether Sneaking Out would stay here with a victory or go back to California. “I'll discuss it with Kevin and make a decision.”

The field for the Thoroughbred Club of America, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Sneaking Out (Rispoli, 122 pounds), Dos Vinos (Mitchell Murrill, 120), On Probation (Adam Beschizza, 120), Divine Queen (Calvin Borel, 120), Palace Avenger (Luis Saez, 118), Inthemidstofbiz (Martin Garcia, 120) and Lady's Island (Tyler Gaffalione, 120).

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Sneaking Out Upsets Bellafina In Great Lady M. At Los Alamitos

Sneaking Out, at 7-1 odds, upset heavily-favored Bellafina in the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif., on Saturday.

Owned by breeder KMN Racing LLC and trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Sneaking Out earned her fifth win in her 11th start, but it was the first in a graded event for the 4-year-old California bred daughter of Indian Evening.

Positioned outside pacesetter Artistic Diva by jockey Martin Garcia, Sneaking Out took over inside the final quarter of a mile and prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Bellafina, the 1-2 choice who was seeking her eighth graded win.

Out of the Kitten's Joy mare Maddie's Odyssey, Sneaking Out completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.62 and paid $16.40 and $4.40 as the fourth choice in the field of seven. There was no show wagering.

Bellafina returned $2.20 while finishing two lengths clear of 16-1 shot Amuse. Artistic Diva, Hang a Star, the 4-1 second choice, Zusha and Donut Girl completed the order of finish.

The win was the second in the Great Lady M. for Hollendorfer, who captured the inaugural running in 2014 with another Cal bred – Doinghardtimeagain for owner-breeder Tommy Town Thoroughbreds.

“That was nice,'' said Hollendorfer. “She was laying outside and she got a little breather around the turn and when (Garcia) asked her to go she had a lot left. She finished up really well.

“I thought she could be the speed if she wanted, but we learned at Oaklawn Park that she didn't have to have the lead. She ran a huge race there (April 25) where she got passed, then came back on and won the race.''

Sneaking Out, who has been worse than second only twice, increased her earnings to $431,441.

Racing resumes Sunday at Los Alamitos. Post time for the final day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival is 1 p.m.

Through six days, Juan Hernandez tops the jockey standings with six wins, one more than Edwin Maldonado, who doubled Saturday. Bob Baffert leads the trainers with four victories.

Apprentice Alexis Centeno, a native of Puerto Rico, earned his first U.S. win with Love Your Life in Saturday's second race.

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Bellafina Tops Great Lady M. Noms; Baffert Nominates Quartet To Los Alamitos Derby

Multiple graded stakes winner Bellafina heads the nominations for the Grade II, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes while Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has four nominees to the Grade III, $150,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos race course in Cypress, Calif.

The two races will be run for the seventh time at Los Alamitos Saturday, July 4.

Owned by Kaleem Shah and Mrs. John Magnier and trained by Simon Callaghan, Bellafina, a 4-year-old Quality Road filly out of the Malibu Moon mare Akron Moon, has earned all seven of her wins in graded stakes. She's banked $1,512,875 in 15 starts. Her successes include the Sorrento (GII), Del Mar Debutante (GI) and Chandlier (GI) in 2018, Santa Ynez (GII), Las Virgenes (GII) and Santa Anita Oaks (GI) in 2019 and the Desert Stormer (GIII) last month at Santa Anita.

The Great Lady M. will mark Bellafina's first start at Los Alamitos since she was second in her career debut July 4, 2018.

The other nominees are Lady T N T, idle since her 37-1 upset in the Grade III Charles Town Oaks last Sept. 21, Zusha, Artistic Diva, Amuse, Ava's Charm, Donut Girl, Hang a Star, Message, Road Rager, Saints Paynter, Sneaking Out and Unique Factor.

Baffert, who has won the Los Alamitos Derby the last three years with West Coast (2017), Once on Whiskey (2018) and Game Winner (2019), nominated Azul Coast, a first out winner at Los Alamitos last Dec. 8, Cezanne, who is entered in Thursday's fifth race, Thousand Words, a neck winner of the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity last Dec. 7, and impressive debut winner Uncle Chuck.

The Derby is part of the “Road to the Kentucky Derby'' this year. The winner of the race will receive 20 points towards a berth in the Derby, which will be run Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs. There will also be eight points awarded to the runner-up, four to the third place finisher and two to the fourth place finisher.

The other Los Alamitos Derby nominees are Great Power, Rushie, third behind Honor A.P. and Authentic in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby June 6, Anneau d'Or, fourth in the SA Derby and second in last year's Los Alamitos Futurity, the maiden Cosmo, Hit the Road and the filly Stela Star.

Entries for both the Great Lady M. Stakes and the Los Alamitos Derby will be taken Wednesday, July 1.

Equibase past performances for the Great Lady M. Stakes

Equibase past performances for Los Alamitos Derby nominees

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