From Los Alamitos Publicity
CYPRESS, Calif. (June 21, 2023) – Two-time defending champion Desmond Doss will have five opponents in the $100,000-guaranteed Bertrando Stakes for Golden State Series eligibles Saturday at Los Alamitos.
A one-mile event for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California, the Bertrando is the last of nine races. Post time is 1 p.m. Scheduled post time for the Bertrando is 5:05 p.m.
Owned by breeder Nick Alexander and trained by Steve Miyadi, Desmond Doss, a 7-year-old son of Grazen and the Malek mare Malley Girl, won the 2021 Bertrando by a half-length as the 8-5 favorite, then repeated last year, scoring by three-quarters of a length as the 1-2 choice.
If successful Saturday, Desmond Doss, who has won seven of 23 and banked $454,911, will become the first three time winner of the Bertrando. Soi Phet also won the race twice, taking the inaugural running in 2014 and again in 2018 as a 10-year-old.
Alexander and Miyadi will also be represented by Lovesick Blues. A 5-year-old gelded son of Grazen and the Ministers Wild Cat mare Queenofhercastle, Lovesick Blues is 7-for-23 with earnings of $293,462.
A close third most recently in the Grade II Daytona going about 6 ½ furlongs on turf, Lovesick Blues will be seeking his second win in four starts at Los Alamitos. He won an optional claimer by three lengths as the 9-10 favorite last Sept. 25.
Trainer John Sadler, who won the 2020 Bertrando with Galilean, will start recent Crystal Water winner Kings River Knight.
A 5-year-old son of Acclamation bred by Old English Ranch and owned by Integrity Thoroughbred Racing LLC, Ellwood Johnston Trust and Kenneth Tevelde, Kings River Knight went gate-to-wire in the one-mile turf race May 28. The win was the fourth in nine starts for the gelding, who is out of the Poteen mare Seasonofperfection, and pushed his bankroll to $236,260.
Kings River Knight will be making only his second start on dirt. He was runner-up in his career debut going six furlongs at Pleasanton June 26, 2022 when trained by Andy Mathis.
None Above the Law will return to Los Alamitos for the first time since he clicked in his career debut when he prevailed by one length when 7-2 in a $50,000 maiden claimer at six furlongs July 2, 2020.
Trained by Peter Miller for owner-breeders Kirk and Judy Robison, the 5-year-old Karakontie gelding out of the Northern Afleet mare Legally Blanca has won six of 23 and earned $522,060. Two of his three wins on dirt have come at the Bertrando distance.
A gelded son of Paynter and the City Zip mare Sam’s Sunny City, Positivity will stretch out and drop out of graded company in search of his first win since Oct. 16, 2021.
Bred by Allen Farm and trained by Doug O’Neill for C T R Stables LLC and Omar Aldabbagh, Positivity is 4-for-18 with earnings of $292,792. He’ll be racing beyond seven furlongs on dirt for the first time since he finished fifth in the California Cup Derby Jan. 16, 2021 when trained by Paddy Gallagher.
Runner-up in the Crystal Water, Coalinga Road will make his Los Alamitos debut for owner-breeder Harris Farms, Inc. and trainer Carla Gaines.
A 6-year-old gelded son of Quality Road and the Johannesburg mare Coco Ecolo, Coalinga Road has won four times in 22 starts and earned $416,234.
From inside out, the field for the Bertrando Stakes: None Above the Law, Drayden Van Dyke rides, 121 pounds; Desmond Doss, Abel Cedillo, 121; Kings River Knight, Juan Hernandez, 124; Coalinga Road, Geovanni Franco, 124; Lovesick Blues, Ramon Vazquez, 119 and Positivity, Antonio Fresu, 119.