Two hot prospects in same trial heat

In what could be a sneak preview of the $200,000 finals in three weeks, the third of three 400-yard stakes trials for 3-year-olds on Friday night's card at Los Alamitos will match Grade 1 Governor's Cup Futurity winner Magic Show Czech and Grade 1 Golden State Million runner-up Fighter on Fire.

The 10 fastest qualifiers from the trials return for the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Feb. 22.

Magic Show Czech has been a Grade 1 performer since he was fifth to champion 2-year-old colt Carters Cartel in the $1,130,000 Ed Burke Memorial Futurity last June. He stepped forward with an impressive 1 1/2-length win in the Governor's Cup Futurity when he raced the 350 yards in a stakes-record 17.22 seconds.

In his most recent start, Magic Show Czech battled with One Famous Eagle and Eye for Corona in the Los Alamitos Two Million and came up a head short, settling for third place.

Fighter on Fire was one of the most consistent stakes 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos last year, hitting the board in 8 of 9 starts and earning $247,711. His showcase effort was a second to Eye for Corona in the Golden State Million when he lugged in but still only lost by a nose. Fighter on Fire then won his Los Alamitos Two Million trial by two lengths, but his time was not fast enough to qualify for the finals.

Jones primed for Championship run

Trainer Paul Jones, who has saddled three of the seven winners of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Championship, will send out his usual strong contingent in the trials to the $225,000 stakes on Saturday night.

His entrants include No Secrets Here, Sir Runaway Dash, and Leading Spirit.

The top 10 qualifiers will advance to the Winter Championship on Feb. 23.

No Secrets Here, winner of the Grade 1, $2 million All American Futurity in 2006, missed the Grade 1, $1 million Champion of Champions after becoming cast in his stall on Dec. 14, the night before the 440-yard classic. He would have been one of the favorites in the Champion of Champions after finishing second, beaten a nose, in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby and then winning his Directors Trial by 1 1/2 lengths.

Sir Runaway Dash showed his class when he was second to 2007 world champion Blues Girl Too in the Grade 1 Golden State Derby. He battled the filly for the last half of the race, but came up a nose short.

Leading Spirit, second in the Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap, flashed the form that made him the winner of three Grade 1 futurities in 2005 when he won the Grade 3 First Down Dash Handicap by three-quarters of a length on Dec. 21.

DMNV Mountable seeks fifth straight

DMNV Mountable, the fastest qualifier heading into Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Harrah's Entertainment Derby at Louisiana Downs, should be favored to gain his fifth straight win.

He has shown tenacity in his latest two wins when he overcame troubled starts to win the Grade 2 Kansas Jackpot Futurity and his derby trial by three-quarters of a length. His time of 19.915 seconds for the 400 yards was the fastest time from the four trials.

The class advantage in the derby goes to Witchs Streak, who was second behind DMNV Mountable in their trial and has the second-fastest qualifying time of 20.019 seconds. She raced in three Grade 1 futurities last year, and her best stakes effort was a third in the Grade 3 Dixie Stallion Futurity at Sam Houston Race Park.