The Grade 2, $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity Saturday at Los Alamitos provides five horses an opportunity for some points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” in the last graded stakes for 2-year-olds this year.
In terms of accomplishments to date, Gaming is the best of the group having won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September before a runner-up effort in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA last month. Getaway Car was fourth in the Juvenile following a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes Presented by DK Horse in October. Two horses in the field are trying to earn the first win of their career in this field – Mellencamp and Rank, who finished fourth and second, respectively, behind Journalism, an impressive winner Nov. 17 at Del Mar in the second start of his career.
Top contenders:
Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity from 2014 through 2020, before his streak was broken by Slow Down Andy in 2021, who was saddled by Doug O’ Neill. Baffert also won last year’s edition with Wynstock, and he has Getaway Car, Gaming, and Mellencamp in this year’s race to try to earn another win. That said, Michael McCarthy’s Journalism may be the best of the group. Although just a maiden winner, Journalism excelled last month in his first test around two turns and ran the race with the maturity of a horse who had run more than just once previously. In that race, Journalism raced fifth of 10 in the early stages then moved out to the three path on the turn and accelerated nicely to pass two horses in front of him and draw away by 2 ½ lengths. The 103 Equibase Speed Figure Journalism earned for that performance is tied for the best in the field with Gaming for his runner-up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile 16 days earlier. Furthermore, Journalism can be expected to improve markedly off that figure in the third start of his career, so that may give him enough of an edge to post the mild upset in this field.
Gaming won the first two starts of his career, both around one turn, including the Del Mar Futurity in September. In the Futurity, Gaming ran similarly to how Journalism ran last month, as he rallied from fifth to win going away. Gaming earned a 103 Equibase Speed Figure in the Futurity, which he duplicated when racing in second from start to finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Jockey Flavien Prat, who was aboard Gaming in the Futurity but not the Juvenile, takes the mount and just set a new record among jockeys in North America for stakes wins with 80 wins for the year. Considering the makeup of the field, with Mellencamp and Getaway Car very likely to both go for the lead from the start and set a fast pace, Gaming may be in a perfect spot to stalk the pacesetters and repeat his Del Mar Futurity effort to win this race.
As to the rest, Rank, who has yet to earn his first win, has improved in each of his last two races, both around two turns, going from an 86 Equibase Speed Figure on Oct. 14 to a 99 when second behind Journalism last month. In that race, Rank moved up from third after a half mile to lead for the next quarter-mile before settling for second while well clear of the third horse. He’s saddled by Doug O’Neill, who won the race with Slow Down Andy three years ago. Mellencamp also is searching for his first win. He stretched out to a mile for his second career start last month but faded from second to fourth behind Journalism with a 93 figure, which doesn’t appear to be competitive if repeated in this field. Getaway Car appears to be a need-the-lead type, having earned his first two wins in his first two races leading from start to finish. He faded to fourth in the Del Mar Futurity after leading early, then followed Citizen Bull around the track in second from start to finish in the American Pharoah Stakes in October, earning a career-best 99 speed figure. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, when unable to get near the front in the early stages, Getaway Car didn’t threaten while ending up fourth of 10 and earning a 97 figure. I don’t believe he will get the easy early lead he needs to win in this field and thus may run poorly again.
Win contenders, in preference/probability order:
Journalism
Gaming
