Powerful Favorite triumphs in Los Alamitos Winter Derby

Powerful Favorite won his second major stakes in Saturday’s $198,700 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, more than six months after a win in the Governor’s Cup Futurity at Los Alamitos last July.

Ridden by Eduardo Nicasio, Powerful Favorite ($4.60) broke well and led narrowly in the first 100 yards before extending his advantage to 1 1/4 lengths at the finish over 16-1 Red Hawk Cartel. Powerful Favorite, who was sent off favored in the field of 10, ran 400 yards in 19.77 seconds.

Powerful Favorite, a gelding by Favorite Cartel, races for Connie Rosenthal and trainer Chris O’Dell, who also finished third in the Winter Derby with Terrific First Down, a 7-1 chance.

Powerful Favorite earned $83,454 and has career earnings of $404,915. Powerful Favorite has won 5 of 11 starts.

The Winter Derby was his fifth derby or futurity final. Last year, Powerful Favorite qualified for four futurities. Aside from the win in the Governor’s Cup Futurity, Powerful Favorite’s best result in a final was a sixth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December.