Mister Appolitical in top form for Southern California Derby

CYPRESS, Calif. –The 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding Mister Appolitical was given a lengthy rest last winter because of mental fatigue. He spent several months at owner Pete Parrella’s Legacy Ranch in northern California before returning to Los Alamitos in late summer.

Mister Appolitical is unbeaten since his return. He won a time trial for the $150,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Derby on Sept. 14 and the final on Oct. 4. More recently, Mister Appolitical won a division of the Southern California Derby time trials on Nov. 29 to confirm his status as the likely favorite in Friday’s $168,700 final at 400 yards.

Trained by Terry Knight, Mister Appolitical will be ridden by Jesus Ayala, who has been aboard for 11 of 12 career starts. Mister Appolitical has won seven races – five time trials, one allowance race and the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby.

Parrella said Mister Appolitical was rested after a fourth-place finish in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby last February “to get his mind right.”

“We thought he had a lot of potential,” Parrella said after the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby win.

In trials for the Southern California Derby, Mister Appolitical set the fastest qualifying time of 19.67 seconds, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of the highly-regarded Chocolatito, who was favored. Chocolatito earned a berth in Friday’s final and will break from the rail.

Owned by Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred and trained by Scott Willoughby, Chocolatito was second by a nose to Mister Appolitical in the PCQHRA Breeders’ Derby. Chocolatito has been plagued by slow starts and trouble at the gate at times this year. He was only sixth in a division of the Los Alamitos Super Derby trials on Oct. 19, failing to qualify for the final.

The Southern California Derby is the last major race restricted to 3-year-olds at Los Alamitos this year.

The field of 10 includes four runners from the $1,009,700 Super Derby on Nov. 10 – Corona by Corona, Red Hawk Cartel and Dexxter, who were fourth through sixth, and Symbol of Faith, who was ninth. Of those, Dexxter was the only one to win a division of the Southern California Derby trials.