Jess Being a Friend begins 3-year-old campaign in Los Alamitos Winter Derby trial

Jess Being a Friend finished second by two lengths to the strongly favored Bomb Cyclone in the $2.03 million Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity on Dec. 12, a loss that left trainer Elana Andrade looking more toward 2022 than concerned about a loss in the track’s richest race.

“I’m more excited about his derby year,” Andrade said moments after the Two Million. “He had a late start.”

Jess Being a Friend will have his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s sixth race at Los Alamitos, the second of four trials for the Los Alamitos Winter Derby at 400 yards. The final, which has an estimated purse of $200,000, will be run Feb. 19.

Owned by Howard Nichols, Jess Being a Friend has won 2 of 7 starts and earned $355,170, the highest earnings of the 34 horses entered in the trials. The runners with the 10 fastest times, regardless of finishing position, advance to the final.

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In the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity at 400 yards, Jess Being a Friend finished a nose in front of Whizkey Glasses, the winner of the Golden State Million Futurity at Los Alamitos in November. Bomb Cyclone and Whizkey Glasses are not part of the Winter Derby trials, and are expected to run in major derbys later this year at Ruidoso Downs and Los Alamitos.

The first time trial on Saturday is led by Docs Fastlane, who was fourth and eighth in the Kindergarten and Ed Burke Million futurities last May and June, and Scoops Dynasty, who was third in the AQHA Juvenile Challenge at The Downs at Albuquerque in October.

Jess Being a Friend’s main rivals in the second trial are Empty Promise, who won the minor Evening Snow Handicap at 350 yards on Dec. 12, and Eye On the Sky, who was fifth in the Burke Futurity.

The well-traveled Mound Valley Eagle will have his second start at Los Alamitos in the third trial. Trained by Monty Arrossa, Mound Valley Eagle started at five tracks in four states last year – Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and California. Mound Valley Eagle won two futurities in Utah last year after the winners were disqualified for medication violations.

In his Los Alamitos debut, Mound Valley Eagle finished a troubled fifth in the Holiday Handicap at 350 yards on Dec. 26, breaking toward the inside and bobbling midway through the race. Corona Yo, second in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity in October, is likely to be favored in that division.

The final trial includes Dasha Good Reason and Watch Out, who were fourth and fifth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Watch Out was second in the Governor’s Cup Futurity last July.