The return of champion Lethal Cowboy 123 and the California debut of All American Derby winner FDD Dreams headline a tremendous night of trials to the Grade 1, $926,200 Los Alamitos Super Derby here on Sunday night.
A total of 28 outstanding sophomores will be in action in four sets of trials to be held at 400 yards. The horses with the 10 fastest times returning for the final on Sunday, November 9. Other stars that will race include Reliance Ranches’ Hott Temptation, the winner of the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap; EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk, the winner of the Grade 2 Golden State Derby; Ed Allred’s Defending Champ, the winner of the Governor’s Cup Derby; and Mario Tellez Montiel’s Show N Tell Cartel, the winner of the Grade 2 El Primero Del Ano Derby. The eventual winner of the Super Derby will also receive a presumptive berth to the Champion of Champions.
Racing for Jimmy Barton, Lance Bland, Caliche Walls Venture LLC and Alan Isbell, the AQHA and PCQHRA Champion Lethal Cowboy 123 will look to continue his outstanding form in California when he heads the opening trial, which is slated as the 7th race on the 10-race card.
Lethal Cowboy 123, a gelding by Flying Cowboy 123 out of the First Down Dash mare Pretty Lethal, has won all five of his starts at Los Alamitos, a winning streak that includes victories in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity during his outstanding juvenile campaign before winning the Sgt Pepper Feature Handicap in his 2025 Los Alamitos debut. His 2024 campaign earned him the title of PCQHRA Horse of the Year and PCQHRA champion 2-year-old gelding. He earned AQHA titles as 2-year-old and 2-year-old gelding of the year.
To be saddled by AQHA champion trainer Marc Jungers, Lethal Cowboy 123 is just one of the marquee names in this star-studded night. Few names are bigger than La Feliz Montana Ranch’s FDD Dreams, a gelding by FDD Dynasty out of Apollitical Jess mare Treasured Dreams, who will start from post number four in the final trial of the night.
Trained by Xavier Rodriguez, FDD Dreams arrives having won nine of 14 career starts for earnings of $1,755,325. The homebred has won four of his five starts this year, including a half-length victory in the Grade 1 All American Derby at The Downs at Albuquerque on Labor Day Monday, September 1. He also dominated the running of the Grade 1 Ruidoso Derby at Ruidoso Downs and won the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity by a head. All in all, he has hit the board in his five Grade 1 starts. As usual, Luis Martinez will pilot the superstar FDD Dreams.
The Eddie Willis-trained Hott Temptation, who dazzled when beating a great field of distaffers in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial on September 13, will take on FDD Dreams in the final trial. When winning the Mildred Vessels, Hott Temptation became only the fifth sophomore filly since 2000 to win this track’s premier race for fillies and mares. The daughter of Tempting Dash earned a presumptive berth to the Grade 1 Champion of Champions with her Millie Vessels win.
Armando Arreola, Cheryl Stokes and Tungsten Racing Partnership’s Train B Taka, who has been among the most consistent Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos, will join FDD Dreams and Hott Temptation in this trial. The Jungers-trained son of Freighttrain B has started nine times at the Orange County oval resulting in six victories, including stakes wins in the Holiday Handicap, Dillingham Handicap and Vandy’s Flash Handicap. He ran second in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and was third in the El Primero.
Lethal Cowboy 123 stands as the top name among all the big names thanks to his accomplishments as a juvenile and an overall record that features nine wins from 12 career start and earnings of $1,359,133. He’s finished lower than second only once, a sixth place finish in his trial to the All American Derby held at The Downs at Albuquerque. Bred by Veronica Gail Worth, Lethal Cowboy 123 will start from post 5 in the opening heat with Edwin Escobedo up.
Lethal Cowboy 123 will face a field that includes El Primero winner Show N Tell Cartel. Trained by Elena Andrade, Show N Tell Cartel was named the PCQHRA Most Improved Horse in 2024 after being claimed after racing in the Los Alamitos Claiming Futurity. He went to qualify for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and continues to shine in 2025 thanks to his victory in the El Primero. El Primero field included runner-up Defending Champ and the aforementioned Train B Taka.
Favorite Jesshawk and Defending Champ have been involved in one of the best rivalries of in the sophomore division. Defending Champ outdueled Favorite Jesshawk to win the Governor’s Cup on July 26 before Favorite Jesshawk returned the favor by besting Defending Champ in the Golden State Derby final on September 6. Trained by Jesus Nunez, Favorite Jesshawk won the Governor’s Cup Futurity last year and was part of the field against Lethal Cowboy 123 in the Golden State Million.
Defending Champ, meanwhile, has proven to be one of the most powerful finishers on the grounds. The 400-yard distance plays to his strengths and he’ll either be pulling away from his rivals or making up ground in the final yards. Favorite Jesshawk will race in the second trial, while Defeding Champ will head the third trial.
Other top stars racing in the trials include Autamatic, who fourth in the All American Invitational, plus Ohana Spirit, Norco and Devils Tower, each a two-time Grade 1 finalist at Los Alamitos. Other top names are Curl Happy Wagon, an All American Oaks finalist, and Grade 1 finalists Cowboy Bolt, Fire Tools 123 and Big Hurt.
