Apollitical Patty may not defend division leadership until fall

CYPRESS, Calif. - With victories in the $1.9 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December and Sunday’s $427,500 Los Alamitos Oaks, the brilliant filly Apollitical Patty is at the top of the 3-year-old Quarter Horse division in California.

She may not defend that role until the fall.

Apollitical Patty, owned by Julianna Hawn Holt of Texas and trained by Monty Arrossa, is a candidate for the All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs, which has trials in August and a final on Sept. 5.

The next major race for 3-year-olds at Los Alamitos is the Golden State Derby in August. Apollitical Patty is not nominated to the Golden State Derby, which does not have a supplementary entry clause. A start in the trials for the All American Derby will cost a $50,000 supplemental fee.

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Apollitical Patty has won 8 of 10 starts and earned $1,077,042. The win in the Los Alamitos Oaks at 400 yards was worth $179,550 for Holt, who bought the filly privately earlier this year from the family of the late owner and breeder Jim Walker.

Apollitical Patty is nominated to the Los Alamitos Super Derby, which has a final on Nov. 7. That race and the All American Derby are two of the sport’s leading races for 3-year-olds, providing ample opportunity to impress championship voters.

In the Los Alamitos Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 400 yards, Apollitical Patty ($2.60) won by two lengths over stablemate Aint She Tempting in 19.47 seconds, the second-fastest time in the history of a race first run in 1978.

By comparison, Favorite Colossus won Sunday’s $225,200 El Primero Del Ano Derby for colts and geldings in 19.85 seconds, recording an 11-1 upset with a nose win against 3-5 Constituent.

Favorite Colossus, owned by Michelle and Jeff Cravens and trained by Cesar DeAlba, will race in California this year, with the Governor’s Cup Derby in July as a summertime goal.

DeAlba, 39, won his first six-figure stakes in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, a little more than two years after he quit riding to launch a Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred stable at Los Alamitos. DeAlba won a race at Del Mar in the summer of 2019.

DeAlba has a unique perspective on the El Primero Del Ano Derby. He rode Moonist to a popular win in the race in 2014. Moonist was the overall champion 3-year-old and 3-year-old gelding that year.