Trial winners Monopolist, Counting the Ways clash in Governor's Cup Derby
Monopolist and Counting the Ways won starkly different time trials at Los Alamitos on July 11 for Sunday’s $175,000 Governor’s Cup Derby.
Monopolist, trained by James Glenn Jr., won the first of the 400-yard divisions by three lengths in 19.69 seconds, the fastest qualifying time. Only the first two finishers from that race advanced to the final.
Counting the Ways won the second division in 19.84 by a head over Favorite Colossus. All six of the runners behind them earned spot in the 10-horse final.
Monopolist, owned and bred by Los Alamitos track owner Ed Allred, will be favored Sunday on the basis of his trial race win and previous record. A gelding, Monopolist has won 5 of 11 starts and earned $334,172 in a career highlighted by a win in the $365,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity last October.
Earlier this year, Monopolist was third in the $203,950 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and was rested in late winter and early spring.
Monopolist was ridden in the Governor’s Cup Derby time trials by Henry Lopez, who has the mount in Sunday’s final. In the trial, Monopolist broke sharply, which was not always the case earlier in his career.
“Last year, he was always a step slow,” Glenn told Los Alamitos publicity on July 11.
Lopez rode Monopolist for the first time in the trials and found the gelding to be an eager runner.
“He tried to gear him down late,” Glenn said. “The last 10 days, all of a sudden, he’s turned the corner. He’s better than he was last year.”
Monopolist was fourth in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity last December, while Counting the Ways was last of 10 after a slow start. Counting the Ways, trained by Jose Flores, did not race again until the Governor’s Cup Derby trials, his fourth win in seven starts.
Favorite Colossus, trained by former leading rider Cesar De Alba, won the $225,200 El Primero Del Ano Derby at 400 yards in an 11-1 upset in March. Favorite Colossus was fourth in an allowance race at 350 yards in May before a brighter performance in the Governor’s Cup Derby trials.
BF Outfoosed, third in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, qualified for the Governor’s Cup Derby despite finishing seventh behind Counting the Ways in the trials after a troubled start. BF Outfoosed breaks from an outside post.