Break will be key for Dont Sass Kvn in Southern California Derby

Dont Sass Kvn set the fastest qualifying time for Sunday’s $162,700 Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos with a brilliant two-length win in the last of three 400-yard trials on Nov. 26.

The victory leaves Dont Sass Kvn with the role of favorite for Sunday’s final and well-positioned to win his first stakes in his sixth appearance in such a race.

Owned by Bradbury Racing, Dont Sass Kvn is trained by Paul Jones, who has won the Southern California Derby a record seven times, most recently in 2013.

Dont Sass Kvn, a winner of 6 of 17 starts, was clocked in 19.85 seconds on Nov. 26. The only other runner in the three trials to beat the 20-second mark was trial race winner Aint He Tempting, who is likely to be the second choice Sunday.

The Southern California Derby is the last of 12 races on an evening program preceded by a 12-race Thoroughbred card that begins at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. The evening program begins at 6 p.m. Pacific.

Dont Sass Kvn will start from post 3 and be ridden by Victor Salazar, who was aboard for the recent trial race win and the colt’s preceding start, a third in the Town Policy Stakes at 400 yards on Nov. 4.

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In the Town Policy, Dont Sass Kvn finished behind Good Wagon Sa and Required First, qualifiers for the Southern California Derby. Dont Sass Kvn had a troubled start in the Town Policy, an issue that has surfaced periodically through his career. Dont Sass Kvn had a better start in the Southern California Derby trial.

“His issue has always been the gates,” Jones told Los Alamitos publicity after the trial race win. “We’ve gotten him kind of quiet in the gates. He’s really starting to mind his manner and has matured.”

Aint He Tempting won a trial in 19.89 for trainer Monty Arrossa for his second consecutive win. Aint He Tempting was second in the $960,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity in June 2022.

Good Wagon Sa is one of three 2023 stakes winners in the Southern California Derby field, along with Aj Run for Cash, who won the minor Falling In Loveagain Handicap in November, and Up the Interest, who won the Los Alamitos Derby Challenge in May.

Up the Interest won a division of the Southern California Derby trials in 20.11 in a 13-1 upset.

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