Unrelentless takes McKinzie Championship by narrowest of margins

Unrelentless edged London Toby by a nose in a thrilling running of the $135,750 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship on Sunday evening to gain a berth to the $700,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 13.

Sent off favored, Unrelentless ($4.60) started from the outside post in a field of 10. After clean starts, Unrelentless and London Toby, who started from post 9, began to duel for the lead.

Unrelentless, ridden by Justine Kleiber, trailed by a head midway through the 400-yard race but had the smallest of advantages at the finish in 19.568 seconds. London Toby, who won the 2024 Winter Championship, was timed in 19.572 seconds and was ridden by Gabriel Lara.

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Bp Cartel Policy, the winner of three derbies at Los Alamitos in 2024, finished third at odds of 7-2.

Unrelentless, a 4-year-old colt by Hes Relentless, races for Gary McKinney’s Reliance Ranches and trainer Eddie Willis. Unrelentless has won 7 of 17 starts and earned $409,742.

The field for the Winter Championship changed remarkably between two time trials on Jan. 26 and Sunday’s final. Jess Good Wine, third in the Champion of Champions in December and the winner of four stakes in 2024, was third in a trial and qualified for the final. Jess Good Wine was declared ineligible after testing positive for the banned medication carmoterol following a win in the All American Gold Cup at The Downs at Albuquerque last September.

The positive was announced by New Mexico racing officials last Wednesday. Jess Good Wine was placed on the New Mexico stewards’ list and cannot race until the case is adjudicated, officials said.

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