The Los Alamitos Futurity is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds run over a distance of one and one sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the dirt held annually in early December at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California. The event currently offers a purse of $200,000.

History The inaugural running of the event was on 29 November 1981 as the Hollywood Futurity and was won by Stalwart whose $365,805 winner's share was one of the largest in the history of American racing.

The event was upgrade to the highest classification of Grade I event in 1983. That year, the race had a total purse of $1,049,725, making it the first million-dollar race for two-year-olds and the richest Thoroughbred horse race at the time.

Between 1985 and 1990 the event was run at a shorter distance of one mile.

With his win in 1987, Tejano became the first two-year-old to achieve career earnings of $1 million.

The 1989 winner Grand Canyon won his fourth straight event and was undefeated winning by lengths in a fastest time ever set by a two-year-old of 1:33 flat.

In 2006 the event was run on a new synthetic Cushion Track which was installed at Hollywood Park.

In 2007 the race name was changed to the CashCall Futurity under a sponsorship arrangement with the racing stable owner and founder of the CashCall consumer lending company, J. Paul Reddam. Reddam's Slow Down Andy won the 2021 edition of the event.

With the closure of Hollywood Park Racetrack in late 2013 the event was moved to the Los Alamitos Race Course and renamed to the Los Alamitos Futurity and held on the dirt track. The winner of the event in 2014 the 3/5 odds-on favorite Dortmund broke the Los Alamitos track record for the miles distance.

In 2019 the event was downgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee to Grade II status.

Six Futurity starters have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby: Gato Del Sol (1982), Ferdinand (1986), Alysheba (1987), Thunder Gulch (1995), Real Quiet (1998), and Giacomo (2005). Preakness winners include Snow Chief (1986), Lookin at Lucky (2010), and Belmont winner A. P. Indy (1992). Real Quiet won the Derby and Preakness and Point Given won the 2001 Preakness & Belmont. Oxbow, who was fourth in the 2012 Futurity, won the Preakness. The race is also regarded as an important preparatory event on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, having produced numerous Triple Crown contenders.

Colts that won this event and went on to take US Champion Two-Year-Old Male Horse honors include Roving Boy (1982), Declan's Moon (2004) and Shared Belief (2013).

Colts that won this event and went later in their careers to take awards include Snow Chief, 1986 US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, A. P. Indy, 1992 US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse and US Horse of the Year, Real Quiet, 1999 US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, Point Given, 2001 US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse, Lookin at Lucky, 2010 US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. Alysheba finished second to Temperate Sil by a neck in the 1986 Hollywood Futurity but the following year after a sensational season was also honored with US Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse honors and in 1988 was US Champion Older Dirt Male Horse and US Horse of the Year.

2018 winner Improbable captured US Champion Older Dirt Male Horse honors in 2020. In 1985 Ferdinand finished 3rd to Snow Chief in the event. After an outstanding season as a four-year-old, Ferdinand was voted US Horse of the Year.

US Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has saddled 15 winners in this event, which includes seven winners in row between 2014 and 2020.

Records Speed records: miles (dirt): 1:40.74 – Afternoon Deelites (1994) miles (synthetic): 1:40.82 – Into Mischief (2007) 1 mile: 1:33.00 – Grand Canyon (1989)

Margins: lengths – Mastery (2017) 7 lengths - Matty G (1995)

Most wins by a jockey: 4 – Alex Solis (1985, 1995, 1996, 2005) 4 – Laffit Pincay Jr. (1987, 1992, 1993, 1998)

Most wins by a trainer: 15 – Bob Baffert (1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025)

Most wins by an owner: 4 – Michael E. Pegram (1997, 1999, 2009, 2017)

Winners Year Winner Jockey Trainer Owner Distance Time Purse Grade RefAt Los Alamitos – Los Alamitos Futurity 2025Litmus TestJuan J. HernandezBob Baffert SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital & Catherine Donovan miles1:42.38$200,500II2024Journalism Umberto RispoliMichael W. McCarthy Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 & Robert V. LaPenta miles1:43.53$200,000II2023WynstockKyle FreyBob BaffertEdward C. Allred & Jack Liebau miles1:43.04$200,000II2022Practical MoveRamon A. VazquezTim YakteenPierre J. Amestoy, Leslie A. Amestoy & Roger K. Beasley miles1:41.65$200,000II2021Slow Down AndyMario GutierrezDoug O'NeillReddam Racing miles1:42.33$300,000II2020SpielbergFlavien PratBob BaffertSF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm & Robert E. Masterson miles1:43.56$200,500II2019Thousand WordsFlavien PratBob BaffertAlbaugh Family Stable, Spendthrift Farm miles1:43.19$200,000II2018ImprobableDrayden Van DykeBob BaffertWinStar Farm, China Horse Club & Starlight Racing miles1:41.18$300,345I2017†McKinzieMike E. SmithBob BaffertKarl Watson, Michael E. Pegram, Paul Weitman miles1:42.57$300,000I2016MasteryMike E. SmithBob BaffertCheyenne Stable miles1:41.56$300,000I2015Mor SpiritGary L. StevensBob BaffertMichael Lund Petersen miles1:43.54$350,500I2014DortmundMartin GarciaBob BaffertKaleem Shah miles1:40.86$500,000IAt Hollywood Park – CashCall Futurity2013Shared BeliefCorey NakataniJerry HollendorferJungle Racing, Jerry Hollendorfer, George Todaro, Jason Litt & Alex Solis II miles1:42.16$751,500I2012ViolenceJavier CastellanoTodd A. PletcherBlack Rock Thoroughbreds miles1:43.50$750,000I2011LiaisonRafael BejaranoBob BaffertArnold Zetcher miles1:42.86$750,000I2010Comma to the TopCorey NakataniPeter L. MillerGary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Kevin Tsujihara miles1:44.72$750,000I2009Lookin At LuckyGarrett K. GomezBob Baffert Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram & Paul Weitman miles1:43.30$750,000I2008Pioneerof the NileGarrett K. GomezBob BaffertZayat Stables miles1:41.95$750,000I2007Into MischiefVictor EspinozaRichard E. MandellaB. Wayne Hughes miles1:40.82$753,000IHollywood Futurity2006StormelloKent J. DesormeauxWilliam L. CurrinWilliam L. Currin & Alvin Eisman miles1:42.19$441,500I2005Brother DerekAlex O. SolisDan L. Hendricks Cecil N. Peacock miles1:42.02$407,250I2004Declan's MoonVictor EspinozaRonald W. EllisJay Em Ess Stable miles1:41.63$446,500I2003Lion HeartMike E. SmithPatrick L. BianconeDerrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor miles1:42.80$376,000I2002ToccetJorge F. ChavezJohn F. ScanlanDaniel M. Borislow miles1:41.26$406,500I2001SiphonicJerry D. BaileyDavid E. HofmansAmerman Racing Stables miles1:42.09$456,750I2000Point GivenGary L. StevensBob BaffertThe Thoroughbred Corporation miles1:42.21$333,690I1999Captain SteveRobby AlbaradoBob BaffertMichael E. Pegram miles1:43.27$419,000I1998Tactical CatLaffit Pincay Jr.D. Wayne LukasOverbrook Farm miles1:42.63$393,000I1997Real QuietKent J. DesormeauxBob BaffertMichael E. Pegram miles1:41.34$470,200I1996Swiss YodelerAlex O. SolisMike HarringtonHeinz J. Steinmann miles1:42.70$580,850I1995Matty GAlex O. SolisRon McAnallyDouble J Farm miles1:41.75$500,000I1994Afternoon DeelitesKent J. DesormeauxRichard E. MandellaBurt Bacharach miles1:40.74$500,000I1993Valiant NatureLaffit Pincay Jr.Ron McAnallyV H W Stable miles1:40.78$500,000I1992River SpecialLaffit Pincay Jr.Robert B. Hess Jr.Golden Eagle Farm miles1:43.27$500,000I1991A.P. IndyNeil D. Drysdale Tomonori Tsurumaki miles1:42.85$599,600I1990§Best PalJose A. SantosIan P. D. JoryGolden Eagle Farm1 mile1:35.40$1,000,000I1989Grand CanyonAngel Cordero Jr.D. Wayne LukasOverbrook Farm1 mile1:33.00$1,000,000I1988King GloriousChris McCarronJerry HollendorferFour M Stable & Halo Farms 1 mile1:35.60$1,000,000I1987TejanoLaffit Pincay Jr.D. Wayne LukasLloyd R. French Jr.1 mile1:34.60$1,000,000I1986Temperate SilBill ShoemakerFrankfurt Stables & Charles E. Whittingham1 mile1:36.10$1,000,000I1985Snow ChiefAlex O. SolisMelvin F. StuteCarl Grinstead & Ben Rochelle1 mile1:34.20$1,172,000I1984Eddie MapleWoodford C. StephensHenryk de Kwiatkowski miles1:43.40$1,140,000I1983Fali TimeSandy HawleyGary F. JonesJames Mamakos & Mark Stubrin miles1:41.60$1,049,725I1982Roving BoyEddie DelahoussayeJoseph ManziRobert E. Hibbert miles1:41.80$811,400 1981StalwartChris McCarronD. Wayne LukasMarvin L. Warner & John C. Oxley miles1:47.80$715,100

Legend:

Notes:

§ Ran as an entry

† In the 2017 running of the event Solomini finished was first past the finishing line but was disqualified and placed third for interference in the deep stretch drive and placed third. McKinzie was declared the winner and Instilled Regard placed second.

See also List of American and Canadian Graded races Road to the Kentucky Derby

References