West Coast targets Los Alamitos Derby

CYPRESS, Calif. – West Coast, the winner of the Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10, is part of a projected field of eight for the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby next Saturday, July 15.

The $200,000 Los Alamitos Derby is run at 1 1/8 miles on dirt and is one of the few graded stakes on dirt for 3-year-olds in California in the second half of the year. The Del Mar summer meeting includes the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile, but there are no graded stakes for 3-year-olds on dirt at the Del Mar or Santa Anita fall meetings.

The Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs for 3-year-olds is the traditional Dec. 26 opening-day feature at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

West Coast, trained by Bob Baffert for Gary and Mary West, won his first stakes in the Easy Goer Stakes.

Other candidates for the Los Alamitos Derby include Cistron, Colonist, Grecian Fire, Kimbear, Klimt, Milton Freewater, and Term of Art.

Klimt won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs last September and was later eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile when trained by Baffert. Klimt joined trainer Art Sherman’s stable at the beginning of the year after Baffert and owner Kaleem Shah parted ways.

Klimt has not raced since the BC Juvenile but has worked quickly at Los Alamitos.