After a great Del Mar meet, it’s time for a short detour to Cypress and Los Alamitos. The one mile, dirt-only course greets a solid number of runners - 97 on a 10 race card - for its opening Saturday. Many of the races are lower level claimers, but when given the opportunity, we’ve seen these gates filled when offered.
One the grand lessons of horse racing in California in 2025 has been glaring: card races for lower level horses. The gates fill, and the wagering is improved for the bettor. There’s nothing wrong with an $8,000 claimer between a couple allowances; we see that this coming weekend at Los Al, but also saw it at Santa Anita and Del Mar. Hopefully, those in charge will see the full fields, and continue to card these kinds of races.
The E.B. Johnston is a stakes race for California-breds. Some of the very best Cal-breds in recent memory have won the Johnston: both Kings River Knight and The Chosen Vron won this race; several in the field are trying to join those ranks. Let’s meet them, and put together a wager.
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The E.B. Johnston. 1 mile, dirt. Cal-breds, 3+up. $75,000.
1. Chismosa. 8/1. Jockey: Ricardo Gonzalez. Trainer: Rafael DeLeon.
Chismosa is a 5-year-old mare, meaning the DeLeon barn is trying her against the boys. And why not? She’s been competitive in other stakes company, and won at 7 furlongs the last time she tried. The move to 8 furlongs shouldn’t be a problem, but there’s another: speed. When she runs against horses with better speed, she’s generally up against it. I’m rooting for her in this spot, but she’s in pretty deep here.
Comment: toss.
2. Stamp My Passport. 4/1. Jockey: Daniel Herrera. Trainer: Leonard Powell.
Stamp My Passport is mega-experienced at the distance, having run 10 times at a mile in his last 12 races. He’s won half his races on dirt at a mile, and won last out at Los Al going a mile. He’ll try to be part of the lead group and do his best running late; while I think he can rate with this group, I’m not sure he can finish with them. I think he can hit the board.
Comment: include in exotic wagers.
3. Man O Rose. 6/5. Jockey: Edwin Maldonado. Trainer: Jeff Mullins.
Man O Rose is a deserving favorite, having won this race last year by 8 lengths. He won 5 of his 9 starts last year, most of those coming against open company, and not just Cal-breds. He’s a worthy favorite. The only concern is the layoff: he hasn’t raced since November; his most recent workout, however, suggests he’s more than ready.
Comment: likely winner.
4. Shortman. 6/1. Jockey: Serafin Carmona. Trainer: Genaro Vallejo.
Shortman has by far the most experience at Los Alamitos, with this being his 13th start. He won a third of his first dozen starts at the track, giving his connections hope he’ll get a good check here. His best showing of late at the distance on dirt is a 2nd place finish in a lower level claimer; he’s simply out of depth here.
Comment: first toss.
5. Mystic Spirit. 20/1. Jockey: Tyler Baze. Trainer: Edwin Alvarez.
Mystic Spirit should have Shortman’s morning line, as he has had much more success at the distance, and comes out of a solid effort at Del Mar going a mile. His two previous wins are both on dirt at a mile, so trainer Edwin Alvarez earns kudos for getting Mystic Spirit back to what he does best. He isn’t a huge threat here, but there’s a scenario where he hits the board.
Comment: include in exotics.
6. Left Hand Man. 5/2. Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Trainer: Peter Miller.
Left Hand Man is the likely biggest threat to favored Man O Rose, coming out of a win on the dirt over a mile at Del Mar. That was at a considerably lower level, but the final time of 1:35³ is a winning one. He’ll need Rose to come out flat, which his most recent work suggests he won’t; Peter Miller will also have to buck a recent trend of horses joining his barn: they’ve only won 2 of his previous 31 such starts.
Comment: can win.
The Sporting Tribune Wager:
$1 Pick 4, starts race 7 ($40): 2,3,4,8 / 5,6,7,9,10 / 3 / 6,9. Good luck!