The Los Alamitos Futurity Tipsheet

A compact field of six will travel 1 1/16 miles in Saturday’s $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity S. (G2). Conditioner Bob Baffert has half of the contenders in the 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series event. 

Los Alamitos Futurity Picks

• #1 Moonlit Sonata
• #6 Wine Me Up
• #5 Coach Prime 
• #3 Stronghold

Los Alamitos Futurity Wagers

• $30 win #1 Moonlit Sonata
• $10 exacta 1 with 5,6
• $1 superfecta 1 with 5,6 with 3,5,6 with all  

Los Alamitos Futurity Contenders

#1 MOONLIT SONATA: Top pick was a smashing maiden winner over what I thought was a sharp field at first asking and I will come right back with the son of Malibu Moon. This $75,000 yearling purchase overcame a wide voyage in that dash, but he gets the rail today on the stretch out and is bred to handle the voyage. The Tim Yakteen trainee shows a solid half-mile drill in preparation for his stakes debut and will have Geovanni Franco in the irons once again. 

#2 WYNSTOCK: Expensive son of Solomini showed marked improvement when going long last time and is intriguing in his first run with winners. The first of the Baffert trio comes in fresh with some very good morning drills leading up to this, and the February foal will show speed with Kyle Frey in the stirrups. 

#3 STRONGHOLD: Phil D’Amato trainee was a clear second behind a budding star in the recent Bob Hope S. (G3). The Ghostzapper colt was a sharp maiden winner going a route of ground at Churchill Downs two back, and he rates as a contender for a top-three placing on Saturday with Antonio Fresu taking the reins. 

#4 ACE OF CLUBS: Doug O’Neill trained son of Mor Spirit comes off of a pair of stakes tries on the lawn and returns to the main oval, where he had won two races in succession prior to getting on the green. This January foal has a versatile running style and could take a move forward with the surface change under the guidance of Edwin Maldonado. 

#5 COACH PRIME: $1.7 million son of Quality Road finished third on the lawn at first asking prior to romping on the dirt in a sharp maiden run on the main oval last time out. The Baffert charge is bred to run long and showed a lot of late energy in the lane in his latest performance. This Kentucky-bred bay might be the one to beat with Flavien Prat retaining the ride. 

#6 WINE ME UP: Baffert pupil was a good debut winner, and then came home a nice second in the American Pharoah S. (G1), prior to finishing unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) last time out. The chestnut son of Vino Rosso brought $300,000 in the spring and will bring a lot of early foot to the field despite being drawn widest in the cast. The talented Kentucky bred comes in with a bullet morning move and will have Juan Hernandez in the stirrups.