From Los Alamitos Publicity
CYPRESS, Calif. (May 31, 2019) — An alteration to the schedule for the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos was made official Friday.
The three-week season will now commence Saturday, June 29 rather than the originally scheduled Thursday, June 27.
Racing will be conducted on a Thursday-Sunday basis – including a special holiday program (Thursday, July 4) – for the final two weeks of the now 10-day meet. Post time will be 1 p.m through closing day (Sunday, July 14).
The opening day program will be highlighted by the sixth running of the $100,000 Bertrando Stakes, a one-mile contest for horses (3-year-olds & up) bred or sired in California.
Among those expected to compete in the Bertrando is the 11-year-old Soi Phet. The venerable gelding is a two-time winner of the race – the inaugural running in 2014 and 2018 – and has captured five stakes at Los Alamitos since thoroughbred racing returned in July, 2014.
The richest event on the calendar is the Grade II, $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes for fillies & mares at 6 ½ furlongs. Won a year ago by multiple graded stakes winner Marley’s Freedom, the Great Lady M. will be offered Saturday, July 6.
The other graded race is the Grade III, $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby, which was won a year ago by the Bob Baffert-trained Once on Whiskey. The nine-furlong contest for 3-year-olds will be run Saturday, July 13.