Los Alamitos: Improving Moonist still has some convincing to do

Moonist will start in Sunday’s $202,100 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos after winning three of his last four starts, a record that does not impress his 76-year-old trainer, John Cooper.

“I don’t like bragging on my horses before I run them,” Cooper said on Thursday.

The slightly cantankerous Cooper, who has trained at Los Alamitos since 1969, has a personal connection to Moonist. He trained the gelding’s sire, Separatist, the champion 2-year-old colt of 1999 and champion 3-year-old of 2000. Moonist is out of Your First Moon, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2001.

Owned by Ron Hartley, Moonist has won 6 of 13 starts and earned $122,922. The El Primero Del Ano Derby will be Moonist’s third appearance in a major stakes final. He was second in the Governor’s Cup Futurity last July, and fourth in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February. Last December, Moonist won the $35,000 Los Alamitos Juvenile, the consolation for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

In the El Primero time trials, Moonist won the last of three 400-yard divisions in 19.65 seconds. Cooper said he “liked” the trial win, but wished that jockey Cesar DeAlba had urged Moonist throughout the race. DeAlba has the mount on Sunday.

“The rider let him loaf a little bit away from there,” Cooper said. “You can’t do that when you’re going for the money.”

Moonist is part of a field of 10 in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, the last of eight races on Sunday evening’s program. Moonist could go favored, although there will be support for fastest qualifier Dimes and Nickels, and the lightly raced Dont Walk Peacefully, a trial winner in his second career start and the fastest qualifier.

Dimes and Nickels was timed in 19.60 seconds winning the second division. Dimes and Nickels and Dont Walk Peacefully are trained by Danny Montes for World Champion Racing Stables of Gustavo De La Torre.

Dimes and Nickels was sixth in the Los Alamitos Juvenile. The only other finalist with stakes experience is Smithy, who was third in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity last October.

The competition does not matter to Cooper, who says he is focused on Moonist in an attempt to win the El Primero Del Ano Derby for a third time.

“You don’t know how these horses come back,” Cooper said. “I don’t go around trying to find out.”