Favorite Colossus catches Constituent for nose win in El Primero Del Ano Derby

Favorite Colossus rallied on the favorable outside of the track to record an 11-1 upset in Sunday’s $225,200 El Primero Del Ano Derby for 3-year-old colts and geldings at Los Alamitos, giving owners and breeders Jeff and Michelle Cravens, trainer Cesar DeAlba, and jockey Irving Lara their biggest career wins.

Making his second start of 2021, Favorite Colossus ($25.40) caught 3-5 Constituent in the final strides to prevail by a nose in the 400-yard race for colts and geldings, finishing in 19.85 seconds.

By comparison, Apollitical Patty, a major futurity winner in 2020, won Saturday’s $427,500 Los Alamitos Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 400 yards in 19.47 seconds, also from the outside of the track.

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Constituent, the fastest qualifier from the March 7 trials, led by about three-quarters of a length after the first 100 yards and by about a half-length midway through the race, racing from post 5. He could not sustain the advantage, and finished a neck in front of third-place finisher BF Outfoosed.

Last July, Constituent won the $315,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity at 350 yards at Los Alamitos, with Favorite Colossus and BF Outfoosed finishing in a dead heat for fourth, beaten a half-length.

Favorite Colossus, a colt by Favorite Cartel, finished fourth in the minor Pat Hyland Handicap a month later before DeAlba suggested that the colt be rested for the rest of 2020.

Favorite Colossus was fourth in a division of the El Primero Del Ano Derby trials behind BF Outfoosed in his first start of 2021. Favorite Colossus has won 2 of 7 starts and earned $119,609.