Chocolatito favored to give Allred, Willoughby second straight Champion of Champions

Last December, Chocolatito finished fourth in the Southern California Derby at Los Alamitos, unable to overcome a poor start in the 400-yard race.

The following night at Los Alamitos, stablemate He Looks Hot won the $600,000 Champion of Champions, the nation’s leading race for older Quarter Horses. A month later, He Looks Hot was retired and Chocolatito assumed the role of leading older horse in the stable of track owner Ed Allred and trainer Scott Willoughby.

Saturday, Chocolatito will be a deserving favorite in the Champion of Champions at 440 yards.

A gelding by the Favorite Trick stallion Favorite Cartel, Chocolatito has won two of the leading races for older horses at Los Alamitos this year – the Vessels Maturity in July and the Los Alamitos Championship in October.

Following the Los Alamitos Championship, Chocolatito was given a brief rest at a local farm and had a 350-yard workout in 18.4 seconds on Nov. 14 in preparation for Saturday’s race. Experience and age has been a benefit for Chocolatito, Willoughby said.

“He’s just matured a lot,” he said. “He’s paying a lot more attention. He’s settled down in the paddock. He acts like a million dollars.”

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The Los Alamitos Championship was Chocolatito’s first start at 440 yards and fourth stakes win. He has won 9 of 18 starts and earned $241,953.

“I’ve always thought he’d love going down the racetrack,” Willoughby said.

Chocolatito won the Los Alamitos Championship by a nose over Zoomin for Spuds, who won the 2016 Champion of Champions and is part of Saturday’s field for a record-equaling fifth consecutive year. Willoughby rates Zoomin for Spuds and Powerful Favorite, winner of the Go Man Go Handicap on Aug. 30 in his most recent start, as leading rivals. Chocolatito was fourth in the Go Man Go Handicap, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.

“Honestly, the old horse Spuds ran a helluva race the other day,” Willoughby said. “Powerful Favorite will be tough if he runs like he can, but he hasn’t run in a while.”

Zoomin for Spuds, 7, qualified for the Champions of Champions by winning a division of the time trials on Nov. 15. Powerful Favorite earned a berth with his win in the Go Man Go.

Berths are available to the winners of major stakes through the year or in the time trials.

Bos Time Machine (winner of the Los Alamitos Winter Championship), Dexxter (Remington Park Championship), Curls Happy Wagon (Mildred Vessels Handicap), and Tell Cartel (Los Alamitos Super Derby) earned berths. Apollitical Pence, Eagle Coast, and Hotsempting earned berths from the time trials.

Curls Happy Wagon, 5, and Hotsempting, who won the Ruidoso Derby in June, are the only fillies and mares in the field.

The only other 3-year-old is Tell Cartel, who won his third derby of the year in the Super Derby on Nov. 8. The Champion of Champions is the final start for Tell Cartel before he is sent to stud in Arizona next year.

“He looks on point,” trainer Matt Fales said Wednesday. “He has a lot of energy and he’s peaking.”