The new post time for Thursday, Dec. 9 and Friday, Dec. 10 is 12:30 p.m. a half-hour earlier than the first week of the season. Post time for Saturday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 12 will be 12 Noon, 30 minutes earlier than the previous weekend.

There will be three stakes races the final three days of the Winter season, topped by the Grade 2, $300,000 Los Alamitos Futurity for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles Saturday, Dec. 11.

The Friday, Dec. 10 program will be highlighted by the $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for 2-year-old fillies bred or sired in California and a winner's circle ceremony honoring trainer Art Sherman, who is retiring after an illustrious career of more than 65 years in racing as an exercise rider, jockey and trainer.

The main event closing day (Sunday, Dec. 12) is the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Both the Soviet Problem and King Glorious will be run at one mile.

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The season is scheduled to begin Friday, Dec. 3 and continue through Sunday, Dec. 12.

The $300,000-guaranteed Starlet, a Grade 1 for 2-year-old fillies, will be renewed for the eighth time at Los Alamitos Saturday, Dec. 4, one week before the $200,000 Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Won a year ago by the Bob Baffert-trained Varda, the Starlet – like the Futurity – will be contested at 1 1/16 miles.

Among the nominees to the Starlet are impressive Del Mar Debutante winner Grace Adler, Dance to the Music, Elm Drive and Eda.

Nominees for the Futurity, which was won a year ago by Spielberg, giving Baffert his seventh consecutive win in the race, include Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst, Enbarr, winner of the local Capote Stakes, Pappacap and Rhetoric.

The other two stakes for juveniles will be run at one mile and are ungraded. The $100,000 Soviet Problem – for fillies – will be offered Saturday, Dec. 11 while the $100,000 King Glorious will be run Sunday, Dec. 12. Both are for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California.

Completing the stakes schedule is the Grade 3, $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes for fillies & mares (3-year-olds & up) at 1 1/16 miles. The Bayakoa will be run Sunday, Dec. 5.

The complete LACF Winter Thoroughbred Stakes schedule:

Saturday, Dec. 4 – The Starlet (Grade 1) – 2-Year-Old Fillies – One & One Sixteenth Miles – $300,000-guaranteed

Sunday, Dec. 5 – Bayakoa Stakes (Grade 3) – 3-Year-Olds & Up, Fillies & Mares – One & One Sixteenth Miles – $100,000-guaranteed

Saturday, Dec. 11 – Soviet Problem Stakes – 2-Year-Old Fillies, Bred or Sired in California – One Mile – $100,000-guaranteed

Saturday, Dec. 11 – Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade 2) – 2-Year-Olds – One & One Sixteenth Miles – $200,000-guaranteed

Sunday, Dec. 12 – King Glorious Stakes – 2-Year-Olds, Bred or Sired in California – One Mile – $100,000-guaranteed

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The 10-day season will begin Friday, Sept. 10 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 26. Racing will be conducted Friday-Sunday the first two weeks (Sept. 10-12 and Sept. 17-19) and Thursday-Sunday (Sept. 23-26) the final four days. Post time will be 1 p.m.

The richest of the stakes races is the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special. The race at 1 1/16 miles – it was run previously (2018-2019) at 1 ¼ miles – will be offered Sunday, Sept. 19.

The initial stakes of the season is the $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs. The Lewis will be run Saturday, Sept. 11.

There are two stakes events for 2-year-olds. The $75,000 Capote will be run Saturday, Sept. 18 while the $75,000 Phone Chatter for fillies will be contested Saturday, Sept. 25. Both races are at 6 ½ furlongs.

Completing the schedule is the $75,000 E.B. Johnston for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California. The race at one mile will be run Sunday, Sept. 12.

Grandstand admission is $3 and $2 for seniors 62 and older. Admission to Burgart's is $5 and Vessels Club is $10. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://losalamitos.com/. Los Alamitos offers free general parking. Preferred parking is $5.

The wagering menu includes a pair of $1 Pick 4's on races 2-5 and the final four races along with a $2 Pick Six as well as the popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum bet with a reduced takeout rate of 14% rate – on the first five races.

The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners with the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners.

There will also be a handicapping contest Saturday, Sept. 18 and the Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and a pair of berths in the 2022 National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

Cost to enter is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining $400 going towards a live money wagering card.

Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, trifectas and daily doubles. Each entry must bet at least $50 on a minimum of five races that day, but there is no wagering limit.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up.

The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20% (2nd place), 15% (3rd place), 7.5 % (4th place) and 7.5% (Most Money Wagered).

Entries for opening day of the LACF meet will be taken Tuesday, Sept. 7.

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A Grade 2, the Great Lady M is for fillies & mares (3-year-olds) and up at 6 ½ furlongs. It is the eighth of nine races on closing day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival. Scheduled post time for the main event is 4:28 p.m.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for Michael Lund Petersen, Gamine has won seven of eight and earned $1,286,500.

A 4-year-old Into Mischief filly out of the Kafwain mare Peggy Jane, Gamine has four Grade 1 successes in three different states on her resume. She has earned those victories – the Acorn at Belmont Park, the Test at Saratoga, the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland in 2020 and the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs earlier this year – by a combined 33 ½ lengths.

Baffert, who has won the Great Lady M. previously with Fantastic Style (2015) and Marley's Freedom (2018-2019), also entered Qahira.

Idle since finishing a distant second behind Gamine in the Grade 3 Las Flores April 4, the 5-year-old Cairo Prince mare has won half of her 10 races for Baoma Corporation and banked $249,400.

Out of the Bates Motel mare Motel Lass, Qahira is 1-for-1 at Los Alamitos. She won an optional claimer as the 3-5 choice during the 2019 Summer Thoroughbred Festival.

Edgeway will be aiming for her third consecutive victory for Hronis Racing LLC and trainer John Sadler.

The 4-year-old Competitive Edge filly out of the Stormin Fever mare Magical Solution followed a win in an optional claimer Feb. 7 at Santa Anita with a stakes success in the Carousel April 10 at Oaklawn Park.

Edgeway has won four of six and earned $307,200. She was runner-up in the Grade 3 Dogwood as a 3-year-old in her only prior start in a graded race.

Hronis Racing and Sadler also entered Candura, a lightly-raced 5-year-old Into Mischief mare. The gray, who is out of the Candy Ride mare Halloween Candy, has won three of four and banked $162,945. She is 2-for-2 in 2021 with both victories coming at Oaklawn Park, the most recent April 25.

Her win in California came in her career debut Aug. 22, 2018 going five furlongs on the Del Mar turf.

A 4-year-old Shanghai Bobby filly out of the Richter Scale mare Lady Dynasty, Dynasty of Her Own will seek her first graded victory for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC and trainer Jonathan Wong.

The Kentucky bred has won seven of 11 and earned $194,148. She has been away since capturing a $34,980 allowance over the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields May 20.

Her only win in four tries on dirt came in the Borderplex Stakes at Sunland Park in New Mexico Jan. 26, 2020. In her lone graded stakes try, she finished fifth of six in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at 1 1/16 miles last year at Prairie Meadows.

Trained by Simon Callaghan for Kaleem Shah Inc., Bella Vita will be making her graded debut. A daughter of Bayern and the Storm Cat mare Queenie Cat, the 4-year-old is 2-for-8 with earnings of $181,790. The California bred has been worse than third only once in her career.

Owned D K Racing LLC, Radley Equine Inc., breeder Helen Alexander and Ramona and Perry Bass II and trained by Dan Blacker, Eyes Open broke her maiden in her seventh career start May 23. The 4-year-old Street Sense filly out of the Bernardini mare Delightful mare has banked $56,920.

Road Rager will be making her first start in nearly 10 months for Samantha Siegel's Jay Em Ess Stable and trainer Brian Koriner.

The 5-year-old Quality Road mare was last seen finishing third in an optional claimer last Sept. 6 at Del Mar. Out of the Aggressive Chief mare She Is Raging, Road Rager has won twice in 13 attempts and banked $128,162.

From inside out, the field for the Great Lady M Stakes:

1. Candura, Tyler Baze rides, 119 pounds
2. Dynasty of Her Own, Ricardo Gonzalez, 119
3. Qahira, Abel Cedillo, 119
4. Edgeway, Flavien Prat, 119
5. Gamine, John Velazquez, 119
6. Bella Vita, Juan Hernandez, 119
7. Eyes Open, Edwin Maldonado, 119
8. Road Rager, Jessica Pyfer, 119

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Restricted to 3-year-olds and scheduled for 1 1/8 miles, the Grade 3 will go as the fourth of nine races. Post time Sunday is 1 p.m. Scheduled post time for the main event is 2:28 p.m.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Defunded has a win in five starts and earnings of $140,700. He had the lead in the stretch in the Grade 3 Affirmed, but was unable to withstand the closing surge of The Chosen Vron while finishing 11 lengths of the rest of the field.

A gelded son of Dialed In and the Touch Gold mare Wind Caper, Defunded will be trying to give Baffert his fifth consecutive victory in the Los Alamitos Derby and his sixth in the last seven years. His half-dozen wins in the race since 2014 include Gimme Da Lute (2015), West Coast (2017), Once On Whiskey (2018), Game Winner (2019) and Uncle Chuck (2020).

Baffert also entered Classier, a distant third as the 7-5 favorite in the Affirmed.

Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC and Robert Masterson, the Empire Maker colt out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell has one win in three starts and has earned $65,000.

Trained by Bob Hess, Jr. for Doug Gans, Gary Jacobs, Larry Katz and Kevin Riggs, It's My House returns to California after being eased over a sloppy surface in the $300,000 Texas Derby May 31 at Lone Star Park.

A son of Anthony's Cross and the Grand Reward mare Gerry's Reward, It's My House has won twice in six starts and banked $60,760. A second-out maiden winner Jan. 31 at Golden Gate Fields when trained by Jamey Thomas, the Florida bred cashed as the favorite in the Turf Paradise Derby March 12 for his other win in his initial race for Hess.

Owned by the Clarke M. Cooper Family Trust, Mia Familia Racing Stable and Wade Jacobsen and trained by John Sadler, who won the 2016 Los Alamitos Derby with Accelerate, Back Ring Luck will be seeking his first on the board finish in California.

The Malibu Moon gelding out of the Rahy mare Patti O'Rahy was eased in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby April 3, then was fourth and fifth in a pair of optional claimers May 15 and June 5 with the latter effort coming on turf.

Back Ring Luck won twice in five starts before shipping to this coast. He defeated $30,000 maidens at Churchill Downs last Nov. 13 when trained by W. Bret Calhoun, then won an optional claimer for trainer Al Cates March 5 at Oaklawn Park after being claimed out of his initial win.

A close fourth in the Snow Chief Stakes on turf June 19, Ingest will switch to the main track for owners Grant Alvernaz and Steve Ribeiro and trainer Doug O'Neill.

A son of Square Eddie and the Rock Hard Ten mare Octogarian, the gelding is 1-for-9 with a bankroll of $58,180. His lone win came at eight furlongs on turf last Sept. 26. He's yet to hit the board in three attempts on dirt.

From inside out, the field for the Los Alamitos Derby: Classier, Mike Smith rides, 122 pounds; It's My House, Edwin Maldonado, 122; Defunded, Abel Cedillo, 122; Back Ring Luck, Tyler Baze, 122 and Ingest, Juan Hernandez, 122.

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The race for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles will be brought back as an extra for Sunday, July 4 in hopes of drawing more entrants, so it could be run on the next-to-last day of the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Al.

Entries for the July 4 program will be taken Thursday, July 1.

Eight horses were nominated to the Los Alamitos Derby: Back Ring Luck, Classier, Defunded, Hudson Ridge, Ingest, It's My House, Mr. Impossible, and Mucho Del Oro.

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Cost to enter is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining funds going towards a live-money wagering card.

Contestants must enter prior to the start of the second race – which has a scheduled post time of 1:28 p.m – July 4. Players can begin entering the contest at 10 a.m. that morning on the Mezzanine level of the Los Alamitos grandstand building.

Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, trifectas and daily doubles.

Each entry must wager a total of at least $400 during the contest to be eligible for prizes and each entry must wager at least $50 per race on a minimum of five races.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up.

The winner will receive 50 percent of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20 percent (2nd place), 15 percent (3rd place), 7.5 percent (4th place) and 7.5 percent (most money wagered).

For questions, contact larace@losalamitos.com or phone 714-820-2690.

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The seven-day Summer Thoroughbred Festival will 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 week. Post time each racing day will be 1 p.m.

The season will be highlighted by a pair of graded stakes races – the Grade 2, $200,000 Great Lady M. for fillies and mares (3-year-olds & up) at 6 ½ furlongs and the Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

The Great Lady M. will be run Monday, July 5 while the Los Alamitos Derby will be offered Saturday, July 3.

The wagering menu includes the Pick Six – with the traditional 70-30 split – a pair of $1 Pick 4's – races 2-5 and the final four races – as well as the extremely popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum wager with a reduced 14% takeout rate which is offered on the first five races.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://losalamitos.com/.

Los Alamitos offers free general parking and preferred parking is $5.

The July 4 program will feature a live money handicapping contest with two seats available to the 2022 National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

The other stakes race during the meet is the $100,000 Bertrando Stakes for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California.

Entries for the Bertrando, which will be run at one mile, will be taken Wednesday, June 23.

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Also cancelling Friday racing was Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.

Last weekend, Los Alamitos opted to go ahead with Saturday night racing despite a rainstorm, drawing criticism from the Los Angeles Times' John Cherwa.

The track has been under increased scrutiny from the California Horse Racing Board after a rash of equine fatalities in 2020, which led to the board initially granting Los Al only a six-month license for 2021. The track's full-year license has since been reinstated.

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“The first few races were OK, and then the rains came and came and the track became sloppier and sloppier,” Cherwa wrote in his horse racing newsletter for the LA Times. “The horses on the short Quarter Horse sprints were clearly slipping and sliding and bumping into each other because they couldn't get traction.”

In the evening's seventh race, a 3-year-old named Gowdy fell coming out of the starting gate and dislodged his jockey. A statement from Los Al's marketing and publicity director Orlando Gutierrez explains that Gowdy “locked up from behind” at the start of the race, causing the fall, but that the horse had returned to his stall and “appears to be doing well.”

His jockey, Cruz Mendez, also seems to have escaped major injury since he returned to ride at Los Al on Sunday's card.

“Why were there horses racing on such an unmanageable track if safety is your top priority?” Cherwa questioned. “The stewards or the track superintendent have the right to suspend racing. In this case, it stopped raining by the eighth and final race. Could racing have been put on hold earlier while the bad weather passed?”

On July 10 last year, the California Horse Racing Board held an emergency meeting to discuss a rash of equine fatalities at Los Alamitos, resulting in a 10-day probationary period. Los Al produced a new plan for equine and rider safety which was approved by the board, including an entry review panel.

CHRB vice chairman Oscar Gonzales spoke out against Los Al's safety record (29 equine fatalities were reported during racing or training from Dec. 27, 2019 through 2020) at the CHRB's December meeting, encouraging his fellow commissioners to grant the track only a six-month license. That move prompted Los Al owner Ed Allred to threaten shutting down racing at the Cypress, Calif. track altogether.

The CHRB's January meeting saw the Los Al license reinstated at a full year, despite two additional equine fatalities recorded on Jan. 17. After the vote was handed down, Gonzales promised increased scrutiny of Los Al's horse safety record.

Read more at the Los Angeles Times.

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