O'Neill hopes one of his two colts blossoms in Los Alamitos Futurity

CYPRESS, Calif. - This could be an action-packed winter in stakes for 3-year-olds for trainer Doug O’Neill.

His stable is led by Nyquist, the unbeaten winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Oct. 31. Lurking behind him in the O’Neill stable are Frank Conversation and Sorryaboutnothing, who are scheduled to start in the $350,000 Los Alamitos Futurity next Saturday.

Neither has done anything to merit comparison to Nyquist, but there is hope in the ever-optimistic O’Neill stable that one can develop into a consistent graded stakes runner in coming months.

Frank Conversation, a colt by Quality Road, was third in his stakes debut, the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 29. The Grade 1 Futurity is run at 1 1/16 miles and will be Frank Conversation’s first start on dirt since an eighth-place finish in a maiden race at Del Mar in September.

The stable’s perspective of the colt has brightened since then.

“He’s solid,” O’Neill said. “He’s shown he’s a turf horse and he works like he’ll show the same on the dirt.”

Sorryaboutnothing has yet to finish first, but was promoted from second to first after Urlacher was disqualified for causing interference in a maiden race at a mile at Del Mar on Nov. 15. That race was a quick turnaround for Sorryaboutnothing, who was fourth in his debut at the track on Nov. 7.

“He acts like a runner,” O’Neill said.

The Los Alamitos Futurity field lacks a standout among seven probable starters. The field is led by Mor Spirit, who was second in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28. Mor Spirit is one of two hopefuls trained by Bob Baffert. He plans to run Toews On Ice, who won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 14, but has yet to run around two turns.

Baffert said on Sunday that he does not plan to start Dr. Dorr, who was fourth in the Bob Hope in his stakes debut. Baffert said he will seek an alternative race for Dr. Dorr at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting that begins on Dec. 26.

Other probable starters are Urlacher; I’malreadythere, who was third in the Bob Hope; and Hollywood Don, who was ninth in the BC Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 30 in his latest start.