Walk Thru Crystal tries to end drought in Golden State Derby

Walk Thru Crystal, the champion 2-year-old Quarter Horse filly of 2015, can win her first stakes in more than a year in Sunday’s $203,200 Golden State Derby at Los Alamitos.

The Golden State Derby is run at 400 yards and is the leading summertime race for 3-year-olds at Los Alamitos.

Trained by Yanet Rodriguez for Enrique Gonzalez, Walk Thru Crystal has started twice this year, finishing second in an allowance race on July 10, and second by a half-length to Rite Regal in the second of two divisions of the Golden State Derby time trials on Aug. 7.

Walk Thru Crystal has won 6 of 11 starts and earned $667,884, the highest earnings of the 10 qualifiers for the Golden State Derby. She won the Kindergarten and Ed Burke Million futurities in 2015 to clinch the championship.

Gonzalez and Rodriguez will start the fastest qualifier in Jess Ravin, a filly who won the first time trial in 19.66 seconds. Jess Ravin, who will be ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala, has won 5 of 8 starts in her career. She was second in the La Primera Del Ano Derby for fillies in April and later won two minor stakes – the La Pacifica Handicap for fillies at 350 yards in May, and the Vandy’s Flash Handicap against males at 400 yards in June.

Jess Ravin and Walk Thru Crystal are two of the three fillies in the field, along with the longshot Peacefull Delight.

Rite Regal won his division of the trials in 19.83 seconds for his third consecutive win, a streak that includes the El Primero Del Ano Derby for colts and geldings in April.

“He’s becoming more professional with each race,” trainer Jose Antonio Flores said after the trials. “He’s becoming more of a racehorse. He’s fast and all the talent is there. He just has to put it together.”