Los Alamitos: Nellie Delaney goes for four straight wins in Winter Championship

In her first start against older males, Nellie Delaney won a time trial for the Los Alamitos Winter Championship on Jan. 26, beating Rylees Boy, the champion aged horse of 2012.

A 4-year-old filly, Nellie Delaney won the 400-yard trial by a head over Rylees Boy, setting the fastest qualifying time of 19.56 seconds for Sunday’s $156,250 Los Alamitos Winter Championship.

“The filly showed a lot of guts,” trainer Juan Aleman said.

The trial win was the third consecutive victory for Nellie Delaney, who races for breeders J. Garvan Kelly and Nancy Yearsley. Nellie Delaney won a trial for the Southern California Derby on Dec. 1 and finished in a dead heat for first in the Southern California Derby final with Jabuti Eagle Sa on Dec. 22.

Nellie Delaney had a poor start in the Southern California Derby and was sixth after the first 100 yards. She recovered well to catch Jabuti Eagle Sa in the final strides.

“If she wouldn’t have stumbled, I think she would have won by herself,” Aleman said.

Nellie Delaney has won 4 of 14 starts and earned $103,058. To prepare for Sunday’s Winter Championship, Aleman emphasized gate training earlier this week.

“She went out to the gate on Wednesday and stood perfectly,” Aleman said. “Let’s see if she can put it together.”

The Winter Championship has a field of 10. The winner receives an automatic berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions over 440 yards on Dec. 13.

Aleman trains three finalists, including Remembering Spence, who won the 2013 Los Alamitos Winter Derby; and Scatmandu, second in the Los Alamitos Super Derby in November. They were second in time trials Jan. 26.

Remembering Spence was beaten a neck by the 9-year-old Vodka With Ice, who won the Bank of America Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos last November. Vodka With Ice was sixth in the Champion of Champions in December. He is trained by Pablo Rabasa Jr., who was hospitalized last week after being kicked by a horse in the Los Alamitos stables.

The 9-year-old Rylees Boy won the 2013 Winter Championship. He won the 2012 Champion of Champions and was second in the 2013 Champion of Champions, finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind Last to Fire, who was later named 2013 World Champion.

Rylees Boy is trained by Paul Jones, who also starts Stel My Corona in the Winter Championship. Stel My Corona won the 2012 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity at Los Alamitos.