The Los Alamitos winter Thoroughbred meet is all set to kick off on Friday. Racing will be held from Friday to Sunday during two weeks, specifically from December 6th to 8th and December 13th to 15th. The post time is set at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Highlighted Winter Season Events

This winter season will be graced by a pair of Grade 2 events for 2-year-olds. The $200,000 Starlet for fillies is one of them and takes place on Saturday. It is one of the races on the path to the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner earning 10 points towards a berth in the May 2 Grade 1 race at Churchill Downs. Nominees to the Starlet include Tenma, the winner of the Del Mar Debutante (G1), Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Vodka With a Twist, and Desi Arnaz Stakes winner Practical Dream.Another significant event is the $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity on Saturday, December 14th. It is one of the events on the road to the Kentucky Derby, and the winner earns 10 points towards a spot in the first jewel of the Triple Crown on May 3. Among the nominees to the Futurity are the Bob Baffert-trained trio of Getaway Car, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile hero Citizen Bull, and Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner Gaming and Bullard. Notably, since the race was moved to Los Alamitos from Hollywood Park, Baffert has won eight of the 10 renewals of the Futurity, with Dortmund in 2014, Mor Spirit in 2015, Mastery in 2016, McKinzie in 2017, Improbable in 2018, Thousand Words in 2019, Spielberg in 2020, and Wynstock last year.Both the Futurity and the Starlet will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

Other Stakes Programs

The stakes program also features a pair of one-mile races for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. The $100,000 Soviet Problem for fillies will be run on Sunday, and the $100,000 King Glorious will be contested on Sunday, December 15th.

Wagering Menu and Contests

The wagering menu is quite extensive. There is the $2 Pick 6, a pair of $1 Pick 4s on races 2-5 and the final four. Additionally, there is the Players’ Pick 5, a 50-cent minimum wager with a takeout rate of 14% on the first five races. The Pick 6 will have the standard 70-30 split, with 70% of the pool going to tickets with six winners and the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners.There will be a handicapping contest on December 14th. The Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and a pair of berths to the 2025 National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. The cost to enter is $500, with $100 placed in the contest prize pool and the remaining $400 going towards a live money wagering card. Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos, with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, trifectas, and daily doubles.