Inside draw could help Bp Cartel Policy in Winter Derby

For a wintertime 3-year-old, Bp Cartel Policy has already had three seasons in his career.

Last June, he was fifth in the $1.2 million Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park, his final start before a winless four-race stretch at Ruidoso Downs and Los Alamitos in the summer and fall.

Bp Cartel Policy was gelded last fall and returned from a nine-week layoff to win a division of the Jan. 27 Los Alamitos Winter Derby trials and set the fastest qualifying time for Saturday’s $174,200 final at 400 yards.

The Winter Derby, the first major stakes for 3-year-olds of the year at Los Alamitos, is Bp Cartel Policy’s first start in a final since the Heritage Place Futurity.

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Bp Cartel Policy, a winner of 2 of 8 starts who races for owner and breeder Bill Price and trainer Monty Arrossa, will start from the inside post in a field of nine in the Winter Derby. Arrossa said Thursday that the draw may favor Bp Cartel Policy, who drifted to the inside on Jan. 27.

“He has a tendency to want to run in a little bit,” Arrossa said. “I think drawing the inside is good for him. Hopefully, we can stay out of traffic.”

Arrossa said Bp Cartel Policy ran to expectations in the trials in his first start since being gelded.

“I think that has played a major role in his turn about,” he said. “I didn’t think he was ever focused last year. He didn’t run back to that form at the Heritage.”

The Winter Derby field includes two runners trained by Paul Jones who nearly won lucrative stakes last year.

The filly Rockin With Energy, who was third in Winter Derby trials to Bp Cartel Policy, finished second by a neck in the $900,000 Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos last June.

“She’s very talented,” Jones said. “If she can break good, she could be as tough as anyone in that race.”

Optical Illusion was third by three-quarters of a length to the brilliant Trane Station V in the $1.78 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December.

“He was gaining ground on Trane Station V,” Jones said.

In the Winter Derby trials, Optical Illusion was second to Luxury Brand, who sadly sustained an injury while galloping out and was euthanized. Luxury Brand was trained by Arrossa.

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