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.

Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby; 1 1/8 miles; Thistledown; June 27, 2020

(20 Derby qualifying points for a win, 8 for second, 4 for third, 2 for fourth)

 Winner: Dean Martini, by Cairo Prince

Trainer: Tom Amoss

Jockey: Ricardo Mejias

Owners: Raise the BAR Racing LLC

Beyer Speed Figure: 95

There is slightly more than nine weeks remaining until the rescheduled Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5, just enough time for the talented colt Cezanne to continue his summertime impression on the 3-year-old division.

Cezanne was the easy winner of a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs on June 6 at Santa Anita in his debut. Thursday at Los Alamitos, Cezanne will have his second start, and first around two turns, in an allowance race with a $40,000 claiming option at a mile.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tiz the Law, winner of the Belmont Stakes, closed as a solid favorite when Pool 5 of the 2020 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Sunday.

Tiz the Law closed at 2-1, followed by Honor A. P. at 6-1, and the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, at 8-1. Then came Authentic (11-1), Uncle Chuck (13-1), Cafe Pharoah (14-1), Cezanne (19-1), Art Collector (20-1), and Dr Post (20-1).

Kentucky Derby hopeful Honor A. P. will stand at Lane's End Farm upon his eventual retirement from racing as that Kentucky stallion operation continues to build on the legacy of the late A.P. Indy.

Lane's End announced on Friday morning that it had acquired the breeding rights to Honor A. P., who is from the first crop of its young stallion Honor Code, the Eclipse Award champion older male of 2015. Honor Code, also the sire of Belmont Stakes third-place finisher Max Player, is by Hall of Famer and sire A.P. Indy, who died in February at age 31 at Lane's End.

Since the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile there’s been no reason to leave the stands after Storm the Court races.

The champion 2-year-old male has yet to visit the winner’s circle in three starts this year, a streak he’ll try to end Saturday at Thistledown in the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby.

Gouverneur Morris is off the Triple Crown trail and most likely done for the year after suffering a case of colitis, Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor International, which is part-owner of the colt, said Thursday.

Gouverneur Morris had been at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland since last week, being treated for a leg infection. On Monday, the horse was transferred to the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center in Ringoes, N.J., with severe diarrhea. He also had issues with his feet.