Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Los Alamitos, July 4, 2020
(20 Derby qualifying points for a win, 8 for second, 4 for third, 2 for fourth)

Winner: Uncle Chuck, by Uncle Mo
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Luis Saez
Owners: Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman
Beyer Speed Figure: 94

DEL MAR, Calif. – The cancellation of the San Diego County Fair, which traditionally precedes the Del Mar race season and whose dates make for a frenetic turnaround before the meet begins, has afforded both the track and trainers a chance to settle in here far earlier than usual. One of the first to arrive and take advantage of the schedule was Michael McCarthy, who not only is preparing for the meet that begins Friday, but also was able to give some of his stakes runners a pair of works before important out-of-town engagements this week.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Uncle Chuck is being asked to come a long ways in a short amount of time, but on Saturday, “We saw what we needed to go to the next step,” said his trainer, Bob Baffert.

Uncle Chuck, making only the second start of his career after beating maidens last month at Santa Anita, turned back his more experienced stablemate Thousand Words in upper stretch and then drew away in the final furlong to score a four-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby going 1 1/8 miles.

Just when Anneau d’Or was rounding back into form, an illness has knocked him out of a scheduled start on Saturday in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby. 

Anneau d’Or, runner-up last year in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, and fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby two months ago, shipped midweek from Golden Gate Fields to Los Alamitos. But on Friday, trainer Blaine Wright suspected the colt would not start in the Los Alamitos Derby.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Dr Post, the Belmont Stakes runner-up, was scheduled to return to the work tab Saturday at Belmont Park, and trainer Todd Pletcher said he is leaning toward running him in the $1 million Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth Park.

“Seems like he’s come out of the race well, so this will be the first step toward making a decision,” Pletcher said Friday.

Cezanne, a $3.65 million purchase as a 2-year-old in 2019, is expected to have his next start in an undetermined stakes after winning his first start around two turns in an allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at a mile Thursday at Los Alamitos.

Cezanne is unbeaten in two starts, having also won a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs on June 6 at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Cezanne ($2.20) stalked pacesetter Bronn to the turn and took the lead in early stretch. Prat gave Cezanne a few reminders with his whip in the final furlong.

The first six editions of the Los Alamitos Derby were unusually influential for early-summer graded stakes with small fields.

The Los Alamitos Derby – a Grade 2 for its first three runnings and a Grade 3 for its last three – earned instant relevance in 2014 when Shared Belief won his first start on dirt, followed by four dirt Grade 1 wins. Accelerate scored his first graded stakes win in the fall 2016 Los Alamitos Derby, followed by five Grade 1 wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic two years later. West Coast won the 2017 Los Al Derby and the Grade 1 Travers next out.

Uncle Chuck, a member of the Derby Watch top 20, is heading straight into stakes competition following a maiden win last month at Santa Anita, as he will take on stablemate Thousand Words as part of a small field in the Grade 3, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby on Saturday.

Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019 who was third in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby last Saturday, faces an uncertain summer campaign with options on turf or the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, trainer Peter Eurton said Wednesday.

Storm the Court finished third as the 2-1 favorite in the Ohio Derby, 2 3/4 lengths behind Dean Martini. Storm the Court is winless in four starts this year since his upset win at 45-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita last November.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though Wednesday was a dark day on this circuit, Manny Franco was at Belmont Park bright and early on a beautiful summer morning. Franco was on-site to climb aboard his 3-year-old Tiz the Law for the first time since he won the abbreviated Belmont Stakes here June 20.