Uncle Chuck, Thousand Words give Baffert strong hand in Los Alamitos Derby

Jul 01, 2020 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Uncle Chuck and Thousand Words provide Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert with a solid one-two punch in Saturday's $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby (G3), which offers Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points of 20-8-4-2 to the top four finishers.

The 1 1/8-mile Los Alamitos Derby has been won by Baffert the last four years and nine times overall dating back to the days when the race was know as the Swaps Stakes and run at Hollywood Park. Uncle Chuck, who won on debut by seven lengths going a mile at Santa Anita on June 12, could be favored to enhance that record.

Thousand Words returns to the site of his biggest triumph looking to reverse course following a pair of sub-par efforts. The Pioneerof the Nile colt beat Anneau d'Or a neck in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in December, but following a win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) in February has been unplaced in his last two outings. Anneau d'Or has also struggled this year finishing out of the money in all three starts, though his fourth in last month's Santa Anita Derby (G1) was his best try so far.

The short field is rounded out by Great Power, a distant third to Charlatan in a March 14 allowance when last seen, and the maiden Cosmo.

The Los Alamitos Derby can be watched and wagered at TwinSpires.com.