Klimt returns in Los Alamitos Derby

Grade 1 winner Klimt will make his sophomore debut on Saturday against seven rivals in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Derby (G3) for new trainer Art Sherman.

The Quality Road colt began his career with conditioner Bob Baffert, breaking his maiden in his second start before capturing the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and Del Mar Futurity (G1) at Del Mar in his next two appearances. The Kentucky-bred bay filled the second spot in the FrontRunner Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park and closed out his two-year-old campaign with a one-paced eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Subsequently transferred to Sherman, Klimt has been working up a storm since late April, most recently posting five furlongs in 1:00.40 over the track on July 8. Rafael Bejarano has ridden the colt throughout his career and retains the mount on Saturday.

Lining up against Klimt will be, among others, former stablemate West Coast. The Baffert pupil has run up a 5-4-2-0 career mark thus far, including taking the Easy Goer Stakes by 3 3/4 lengths last out on June 10 at Belmont Park. The Flatter colt will be stretching out to nine furlongs for the first time here and gets Drayden Van Dyke in the irons.

Other contenders in the Los Alamitos Derby include B Squared and Term of Art, the respective second and third-place runners in the Affirmed Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park on June 24.

Grade 3-placed Kimbear will be trying a route on the main track for the first time while stakes winner Cistron, who is Grade 2-placed on turf, returns to the dirt here.

Completing the Los Alamitos Derby field are multiple stakes-placed Milton Freewater and stakes debuter Colonist.