Circle City continues team's hot run with win in Golden State Derby

Circle City led throughout Sunday’s $204,100 Golden State Derby at Los Alamitos, giving owner and breeder Ed Allred, trainer Scott Willoughby and jockey Vinnie Bednar their third six-figure stakes win together since the first of July.

Circle City was the fastest qualifier from the time trials for the Golden State Derby on Aug. 2 and won the final by a half-length over 21-1 Long Time Favorite. Sent off favored, Circle City ($5.40) ran 400 yards in 19.73 seconds and earned $85,722.

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

Long Time Favorite finished a neck in front of 7-2 You Can Run, who was a head in front of 2-1 Tell Cartel in the field of nine. Earlier this year, Tell Cartel won the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February and the El Primero Del Ano Derby in March.

Tell Cartel was a fair second to Circle City in the time trials for the Golden State Derby, but was never a threat to the winner on Sunday after a modest start.

Circle City, a gelding by Favorite Cartel, has won 6 of 11 starts and earned $292,812. Last November, Circle City was beaten a nose in the Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos.

This summer, Allred, who owns Los Alamitos, Willoughby and Bednar have won the $157,400 Vessels Maturity with Chocolatito on July 5 and the $185,000 Governor’s Cup Derby on July 26 with Nomadic.

Nomadic and Circle City are full brothers and were bred via embryo transfer.

They could both appear in the Los Alamitos Super Derby, which has time trials on Oct. 17 and a final on Nov. 8.