Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Los Alamitos, July 4, 2020 (20 Derby qualifying points for a win, 8 for second, 4 for third, 2 for fourth) Winner: Uncle Chuck, by Uncle Mo Trainer: Bob Baffert Jockey: Luis Saez Owners: Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman Beyer Speed Figure: 94 It takes a pretty special horse to win going two turns in his debut with a Beyer Speed Figure of 95, then follow that up with a second-start victory in a graded stakes race going 1 1/8 miles with a Beyer Figure of similar value. UNCLE CHUCK is special. Whether he’s special enough to go from an unstarted maiden in early June to a Kentucky Derby winner on Sept. 5 is the question he’ll be asked to answer in coming weeks, but he’s obviously shown he deserves the opportunity. He will have one more prep, and if he passes that test like he’s passed his tests so far, it’s on to Louisville. This was a good spot for Uncle Chuck, because the race didn’t come up with a strong field. Stablemate THOUSAND WORDS is a solid horse, but hasn’t really progressed from 2 – when he won the Los Alamitos Futurity – to 3. Third-place finisher COSMO is a maiden, and GREAT POWER only ended up in this race because an allowance scheduled for the same day didn’t fill. But Uncle Chuck certainly passed the eye test. He settled off of Great Power early, turned back Thousand Words in upper stretch, and was coming away at the wire with a long, powerful stride perfectly suited for the distances he’ll be asked to negotiate in coming weeks. He’s not as good as the likes of Tiz the Law and Honor A. P. just yet, but they’ve had a much bigger head start. Had the Derby been in May, he never would have been in play, as he did not debut until June 12. Time may not be on his side regarding how far he has to come in such a short amount of time, but he never would have been in this position if not for the postponement of the Derby. Most important for him, the talent is there. He’s an exciting, late-developing prospect. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2020: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more In this race, Uncle Chuck was able to break comfortably from the outside stall and was kept a few lanes wide going into and around the first turn so as to not engage Great Power too aggressively early. He appeared well within himself going down the backside while well off the rail, then moved to challenge Great Power for the lead heading around the far turn. He was immediately challenged by Thousand Words in upper stretch, disposed of that rival prior to the furlong grounds, and drew off while swapping over to his wrong lead a sixteenth out, betraying his inexperience, not that it mattered. He continued to gallop out with enthusiasm. Thousand Words, who was second, broke slightly to his right leaving the gate and settled at the rear of the quartet into the first turn. He followed Uncle Chuck down the backstretch, moved three paths wide on the far turn to launch his bid, got to Uncle Chuck’s hip in upper stretch, but was no match for Uncle Chuck through the lane, and he wasn’t persevered with in the final yards when it was obvious he was a clear second. A good, solid effort, but he’s no better now than he was seven months ago. The 91 Beyer he got in the Los Alamitos Futurity remains his career best. :: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program. Cosmo, who was third, was winless in five prior starts, all on turf. He was hustled away from the gate and then followed Great Power around the first turn, moved up inside Great Power down the backstretch owing to Great Power racing so far off the rail, was even with Uncle Chuck nearing the far turn, but couldn’t stay with Uncle Chuck when the winner started his rally. Cosmo sat in a pocket around the far turn, then couldn’t go with the top two through the lane. He made more money in this race ($18,750) than he did in his five prior starts combined ($18,500). Great Power, who finished last of four, was sent away from the gate to take the lead, then raced well off the rail down the backstretch while still in front. He tried to stay with Uncle Chuck around the far turn but came under urging before reaching the top of the long stretch, was a little late to change leads, then steadily faded. He’s unfortunately had a couple of interruptions to his career (one via injury, one owing to the coronavirus pandemic) since a sharp maiden win last fall. Hopefully, he can hit the reset button, start over sprinting – which is what he did in his debut win – and go forward. This was not his intended spot, and it showed.