Two graded stakes highlight Los Alamitos' summer schedule

Three stakes – including a pair of graded events – worth $450,000 highlight the Summer Thoroughbred Festival at Los Alamitos.

The 12-day season will begin Thursday, June 27, and continue through Sunday, July 14.

Racing will be conducted on a Thursday-Sunday basis. 

The richest event on the calendar is the Grade 2, $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 2, $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.

Before Once On Whiskey, the Derby was won by Shared Belief (2014), Gimme Da Lute (2015), Accelerate (2016) and eventual 3-year-old champion West Coast in 2017.

Besides Marley’s Freedom, the four previous winners of the Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos were Doinghardtimeagain (2014), Fantastic Style (2015), Eclipse Award winner Finest City (2016) and Skye Diamonds (2017).

The other stakes on the schedule is the $100,000 Bertrando for California breds (3-year-olds & up). The one-mile Bertrando will be run Saturday, June 29.