World champion Empressum starts season in Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship trials

Empressum, the 2022 Quarter Horse world champion, will have his first start of the year in the first of two divisions of the Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship trials at Los Alamitos on Sunday.

Only 13 horses were entered in two 400-yard trials. The runners with the 10 fastest qualifying times will advance to the final on Feb. 19, which has a projected purse of $160,000.

Owned by Steve Holt and Jeff Jones and trained by Heath Taylor, Empressum clinched the world championship title with a win in the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec.10. The winner of the Winter Championship on Feb.19 earns a berth to the Champion of Champions in December.

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Empressum will be a massive favorite against five rivals in the ninth race, the stronger of the two trials. Empressum’s main rivals are London Toby, a 5-year-old gelding who was a two-length winner of the First Down Dash Handicap at 400 yards on Dec. 18 for trainer Scott Willoughby, and Scoops Dynasty, who was second in the Los Alamitos Super Derby in November.

In the second trial, Apollitical Pence will be favored in his first start since a third in the Champion of Champions. Apollitical Pence won the 2022 Winter Championship for trainer Monty Arrossa, who also trains Scoops Dynasty.

Apolliitical Pence is part of a field of seven that includes Stuck in Probate, who was second as the 7-5 favorite in the Southern California Derby on Dec. 18.

On Saturday, the Arrossa-trained Chicks First Flash will be favored to win the last of three 400-yard trials for the $183,350 Los Alamitos Winter Derby on Feb. 18. Chicks First Flash has not raced since a win in the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Futurity in October.

There are 25 3-year-olds entered in the Winter Derby trials.

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