Tell Cartel first 3-year-old to qualify for Champion of Champions

There will be at least one 3-year-old in the $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos following a win by Tell Cartel in the $1,052,350 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Sunday.

Tell Cartel earned an automatic berth to the Champion of Champions, which is run at 440 yards and is comparable to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in that it brings together a field of leading older horses in a race that plays a significant role in year-end voting.

The Champion of Champions has a format in which horses earn berths by winning major stakes through the year, with additional berths available through time trials.

So far, the older horses Bos Time Machine, Chocolatito, Curls Happy Wagon, Dexxter, and Powerful Favorite have qualified by winning major stakes. Gold Heart Eagle V earned a berth with a win in the All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs in September, but is not expected to start.

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Bos Time Machine was the first qualifier for the Champion of Champions with a win in the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship in February. Chocolatito has won two races with automatic berths – the Vessels Maturity in July and the Los Alamitos Championship in October.

If a horse that wins a qualifying race is unable to start in the Champion of Champions, the berth reverts to the runners with the best times in the trials, in most cases. Powerful Favorite won the Go Man Go Handicap in August, gaining a provisional berth that became a full berth when Chocolatito won a second stakes with an automatic berth.

Horses qualify for the Champion of Champions time trials by winning or placing in graded stakes nationwide. The 400-yard trials will be held Sunday, the only occasion in Quarter Horse racing where time trials are run at a different distance than the final.

Tell Cartel avoided a trip to the trials with a half-length win in the richest running of the Super Derby. Trained by Matt Fales for owner and breeder Mimi Wells, Tell Cartel has won three derbies this year, beginning the season with victories in the Los Alamitos Winter Derby in February and the El Primero Del Ano Derby in March.

Tell Cartel underwent knee surgery after the March win. The Super Derby was his first stakes win since the operation. The Champion of Champions will be his first start against older horses.