Required First proven class of Governor's Cup Derby
Compared to the competition he faced at the end of 2022, Required First will have a relatively easy time in his 2023 stakes debut in Sunday’s $225,000 Governor’s Cup Derby for 3-year-olds at Los Alamitos.
Last December, Required First finished seventh by 1 3/4 lengths in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Cyber Attack, who won the race, was later named champion 2-year-old of 2022 and has had a strong start to his 2023 season, winning the Ruidoso Derby in June and finishing second in the Rainbow Derby at Ruidoso Downs earlier this month.
In the Two Million Futurity, Required First finished a length behind Hes Judgeandjury, who was third in that race and won the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs last September.
Required First has won 3 of 10 starts and earned $150,229, by far the highest earnings of the 10 finalists in the Governor’s Cup Derby. There are no stakes winners in the field.
Earlier in 2022, Required First was second in the $280,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity and third in the $30,000 Ah Sigh Handicap, both at 350 yards.
Required First, trained by Jose Flores for owner and breeders George and Ruben Villalobos, won his first start of 2023 in a division of the Governor’s Cup Derby trials on July 9. Required First ran 400 yards in 19.90 seconds, winning by a neck as the 11-10 favorite.
Required First had the fourth-fastest qualifying time from three trials, and was not far behind the clockings of the gelding Future Version and filly Phoebes Baby Girl. They won separate trials in 19.861 seconds and share the role of fastest qualifiers. The Governor’s Cup Derby will be the first start in a stakes for Future Version and Phoebes Baby Girl.
Flores trains the well regarded Future Version, who is unbeaten in two starts this year. Flores also runs La Tarahumara Fire, a filly who was third behind Phoebes Baby Girl in the trials.
Phoebes Baby Girl, trained by Paul Jones, has won 2 of 4 starts this year. Jones has two runners, including Terrific Phoenix, who was second to Required First in the trials.
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