Chocolatito gets first major stakes test in Golden State Derby

Chocolatito, unbeaten in three starts this year, will have his major stakes debut as the expected favorite in Sunday’s $211,100 Golden State Derby at Los Alamitos.

The fastest qualifier from two time trials on Aug. 4, Chocolatito will be ridden by Vinnie Bednar, who has been aboard for the gelding’s three wins this year – an allowance race at 330 yards in April, the $25,000 Dillingham Handicap at 400 yards in May, and the Golden State Derby time trial.

In the recent trial, Chocolatito handled the disruption of a rival breaking through the gate before the start. Chocolatito ran 400 yards in 19.69 seconds in the time trial.

“He still broke nicely after all that,” Bednar told Los Alamitos publicity on the night of the trials.

“It makes you a little nervous when you are on a good horse like him because you want everything to go right. He knows what to do. I’m just happy to be riding him.”

Owned by Los Alamitos chairman Ed Allred and trained by Scott Willoughby, Chocolatito, by Favorite Cartel, was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling. Chocolatito has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $29,410. He was a maiden race winner at 300 yards in his second start last September and was second in a division of the Golden State Million Futurity trials, failing to qualify for the final.

In the Aug. 4 time trial, Chocolatito outfinished Terrific First Down in the trial by three-quarters of a length. One of three fillies in the Golden State Derby, Terrific First Down was third in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February and won the La Primera Del Ano Derby for fillies in March.

The Golden State Derby will be her third start after a 90-day layoff.

The other trial race winner on Aug. 4 was Favorite Motion, in 19.80. Last fall, Favorite Motion was fourth by a length to Flash and Roll in the Golden State Million Futurity. Flash and Roll was the champion 2-year-old filly of 2018.