How to bet the 2020 Los Alamitos Derby

Bob Baffert has won four of the last six editions of the $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby (G3) at Los Alamitos, and the trainer has a strong chance to nab another victory Saturday.

The Los Alamitos Derby holds an extra layer of intrigue this year, since it is a new Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race that offers qualification points to the top four finishers on a 20-8-4-2 basis. As a result, Baffert has entered two promising Triple Crown nominees in the 1 1/8-mile event — #3 Thousand Words and #4 Uncle Chuck.

Thousand Words needs no introduction. Sold for $1 million as a yearling, the son of Pioneerof the Nile won his first three starts in gritty fashion, including the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) over this track. But Thousand Words seemed to burn out during the spring. He finished a distant fourth in the San Felipe (G2) and stumbled badly at the start of the Oaklawn S. before he retreated to finish 11th.

A little time off seems to have done Thousand Words some good. He has turned in a series of fast workouts at Santa Anita since the end of May and will race without blinkers in the Los Alamitos Derby, which sets the stage for a more relaxed trip and an improved performance. But the caliber of competition Thousand Words defeated in his first three starts has come into question, and at this point, his stablemate Uncle Chuck has more upside.

A late nominee to the Triple Crown, Uncle Chuck is a half-sibling to a pair of graded stakes winners and Maclean’s Music, sire of 2017 Preakness (G1) winner Cloud Computing. Uncle Chuck is bred to relish classic distances and delivered an eye-catching performance in his debut June 12 at Santa Anita, where he led all the way to dominate a 1-mile maiden race by seven lengths.

Baffert has spoken highly of Uncle Chuck, and the stretch out to 1 1/8 miles should only enhance the chances for this speedy son of Uncle Mo. In a race without much pace on paper, Uncle Chuck can seize the early initiative and lead this field on a merry chase, so let’s key him on top of a trifecta, with Thousand Words, #2 Great Power, and #5 Anneau d’Or underneath.

$5 trifecta: 4 with 2,3,5 with 2,3,5 ($30)

Good luck!