Lock to Load victorious in Winter Derby

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - Lock to Load, one of seven starters trained by Paul Jones, won his first stakes in Saturday's $206,000 for 3-year-old Quarter Horses.

Lock to Load finished a nose in front of the Jones-trained Dealadash, who was a nose ahead of Dale Badon, who is trained by Blane Schvaneveldt.

Jones's starters also finished fourth (Red Hot Blitzer), I Ought to Be First (fifth), Stel Corona (seventh), Deefirst (ninth) and Sum Specialy Strawfly (tenth). Eight of the ten runners finished within a length.

Lock to Load ran 400 yards in 19.66 seconds under jockey Cody Jensen. Co-owned by Jones and Bob Grimes of Tucson, Lock to Load has won 2 of 8 starts and $187,344. Last December, he finished fourth in the Los Alamitos Million Futurity.

Jones's seven finalists was a record for most starters in a Grade 1 race at Los Alamitos. It was the first time a Quarter Horse trainer had qualified seven for a Grade 1 race since Jack Brooks started that many in the 1990 Sun Country Futurity at Sunland Park.