Ax Man, Blended Citizen expected to top Los Alamitos Derby

CYPRESS, Calif. – The candidates for the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on Saturday are led by 2018 stakes winners Ax Man and Blended Citizen. They will not have many rivals in the $150,000 race at 1 1/8 miles.

From a list of 11 nominations, there were only a few other runners confirmed for the race as of Sunday. Trainer Doug O’Neill said he will start Blended Citizen and King Cause. Blended Citizen won the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes on May 12 at Belmont Park and was ninth in the Belmont Stakes on June 9. King Cause was fifth behind Draft Pick in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes on June 10 at Santa Anita.

Trainer Peter Eurton said he was considering Draft Pick for the Los Alamitos Derby, but said the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on Saturday at Indiana Grand is a strong possibility. The Indiana Derby has a purse of $500,000 and is run at 1 1/16 miles. Eurton has Dark Vader as a candidate for the Indiana Derby. Dark Vader, who is nominated to the Los Alamitos Derby, was third in the Easy Goer Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park.

Ax Man won the Sir Barton Stakes on May 19 at Pimlico, but was a well-beaten third in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes on June 16 at Churchill Downs at 1-2 for trainer Bob Baffert.

Mongolian Groom, a June 15 maiden winner on turf at Santa Anita, is nominated for the Los Alamitos Derby, which would be his stakes debut for owner and trainer Enebish Ganbat.