The LA Derby (Grade 2) (KYD)- $1,000.000 Purse
LA- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and Three Sixteenths on the Dirt
March 20, 2021

In six weeks, we will be running the KYD, and as this time gets closer, it is time to increase the stakes one more time in terms of the points being awarded to prep winners. 100 point races formally begin on Saturday here with the 16th running of LA Derby. The purse is quite nice too, as $1,000.00 is also on the line. Notable past winners of the race include Timepiece, Mai Mia Bambina, Hardline, and 2019 PRK winner, Hollywood Latte. Last year, which was also the first year that this distance in the race to a mile and a three sixteenths, it was won by Bound Bay and Gdp Inc. This year, a field of fourteen will be looking to be the next name to be added to the winners list. Let’s meet the field!

#1- Baller Alert (Patterson Stables, ridden by Ru Gonzalez)- Looking to insert his name onto the KYD leaderboard with a strong performance here. He broke his maiden in December, and followed up that up nicely by winning the Mucho Macho Man at GP in January. He would try the Grade 3 Withers up at AQU last month, but failed to beat any of his rivals in a ten horse field, missing by six lengths. That could be an outlier for him, as he has otherwise been good and consistent.

#2- Dutty John Crow (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The gelding will be making the fifth start of his career, and spent his first three races running against CA-breds. He handled them well, and did win the $100.000 King Glorious in December. Last month, he was here for the Risen Star, but that’s about all that we can say about his effort. Perhaps, he wanted more room to run, and gets that here, but simply needs to be better, regardless.

#3- Turbocharged (Aer Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Last month, Turbocharged scored a win in the $100.000 El Camino at GG for his second career win. In that race, he was not given bute for the first time since his debut, and he is now 2-for-2 without it. Aer is having a strong prep race season right now with four in the top 17, and five in the top 21. Then, there’s Turbocharged, who’s sixth on the stable list, and 23rd on the overall list, with his 11 points. Mb’s not the only one who’s going to have to make a tough decision.

#4- Shimkal Storm (Arindel, ridden by V R Carrasco)- Won three of his first four races, and among them were two big wins in FL Sire Stakes races, taking both the Fager and the Affirmed. He has not won since then, and after an 11th place performance in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes, he was downgraded to N1X allowances, and he hasn’t really impressed in them, either. Hopefully for the trainer, Shimkal Storm has something left and can kick start his career once again.

#5- Dime Defense (Asgar, ridden by C J Lanerie)- When you’re a fourth quarter two year old, the chips are stacked against you if you want to make the KYD. Asgar knows that, so there’s no time to see how he might fare off of breaking his maiden in another type of race. It’s time for Dime Defense to show what he is made of against this company, now! On the surface, he’s capable, but he better not fold under pressure, because he’s figuratively facing a much better quarterback now.

#6- Sunderland Til I Die (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Beschizza)- Broke his maiden here on New Years Day in the sixth start of his career. Off of that, he went to the Withers and ended up placing third in the race, giving him his two KYD points. He’s very consistent, and has never finished off the board in his career. Seems to be one that likes to come from off the pace, but there is no guarantee that we will see that from him here again.

#7- Familiar Moon (John Henry, ridden by S R Bahen)- He’s one of a few in this field that are coming out of the Risen Star, run here last month. For Familiar Moon, that resulted in a double digit finish, so the trainer would prefer to focus on his third place showing in the Lecomte here in the race prior. He had S R Bahen aboard that day, so maybe that will help matters quite a bit. That result earned him four points that he can build on here.

#8- Oleg (Arindel, ridden by E Jaramillo)- This colt has followed the same path as Familiar Moon in the last two races, running in each of the Risen Star and the Lecomte. For Oleg, the Lecomte resulted in a second place run, but he was also disappointing in the Risen Star, managing a sixth place run. He was still within a length in that race, and after an incredible work earlier this month, there is plenty of reason to be excited about him in this race. He has four points on the leaderboard right now.

#9- Dazed (Mb Stables, ridden by S Ryan)- So far, Dazed has raced only in LA, and with the LA-bred condition. That would make this a great spot to make his graded debut. He has won three of five races, the LCD Juvenile and the LA Futurity, which are the only races that he has run here at FG. Is there a home track advantage for him? The trainer hopes so! One of three in the field from Mb Stables as he looks to be as strong in 100 point races as he was in the 50-pointers!

#10- Fauci (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- A perfectly named horse, given his sire, Local Hero, Fauci has managed two wins over his seven career starts thus far. After he broke his maiden in October, he had no problem stepping up into the Grade 2 Ky Jockey Club a month later, winning that as well. He’s only raced once since then, and that was the Risen Star, placing eighth. His numbers, or works, are trending the right way.

#11- Stress Free (Mb Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- Here’s another lightly raced horse entering the LA Derby off of breaking his maiden, but Mb Stables can be stress free about it, because he has two other runners in here and a whole bunch safely in position on the KYD leaderboard. The works on this one are quite good, and he has plenty of potential to join his stablemates as a KYD threat.

#12- Darth Charley (Diablo Diablo, ridden by J Stein)- This one has already made ten starts, and the vast majority of them have come on the grass. He has not run on the main track since the end of June last year. But this is not a shot in the dark, either, as Darth Charley worked impressively at TP last week, and was a BC runner last fall. If the conversion goes well, then he can surprise this field.

#13- Evergreen (Mb Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- Well, we saw this one in the Risen Star too, and he would end up with a dead heat victory with his stablemate, Howl Of The Hound. 60 points will certainly get him into the KYD, but this is a good test for him to see if he will like this slightly increased distance or not. He has three wins in four races, also including the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on the green, and the Grade 3 Sham Stakes. The trainer will have to pick three horses eventually, so Evergreen has something, in house, to still prove or confirm, however you look at it.

#14- Creepy Havoc (Estero Farms, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Starting on the outside, this gelding was able to pick up two points thanks to finishing fourth in the BC Juvenile, but in his last race, the Lecomte, he was a dismal 10th. With a couple months to think about it, and some good works leading into the race, Creepy Havoc seems to be positioned for a rebound, but it will not come easy from this spot in the gate.

Prediction: 8-13-6-3

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES