Kvn Corona risks perfect local record

There’s a lot on the line Sunday in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Super Derby for Quarter Horses – from the race’s purse of $925,100 to a berth in the Champion of Champions. There’s even more at stake for Kvn Corona.

The champion will attempt to keep his outstanding local record unblemished. He is 9 for 9 at Los Alamitos. It’s a track win streak that, according to track publicity, trails only Corona Chick, who won 12 straight races at Los Alamitos, and Snowbound Superstar, who had a local streak of 10.

The Super Derby is a 400-yard race for 3-year-olds that drew a field of 10. The winner will earn a berth in the Grade 1, $600,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 15. The field for Sunday also includes Jess My Kiss, winner of the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby, and Jesstacartel, winner of the Grade 2 Golden State Derby.

Kvn Corona boasts a career record of 10 for 12 for owner Keith Nellesen and trainer Paul Jones. He won the first eight starts of his career at Los Alamitos before making his way to Ruidoso Downs. Kvn Corona made it nine in a row when he won a May trial for the Ruidoso Derby. He then ran eighth in the finale in June, and in his only other start at the mountaintop track, he was fourth in his trial for the All American Derby in August.

Kvn Corona returned home and set the fastest qualifying time for the Super Derby when he won his 400-yard trial in 19.67 seconds on Oct. 20 at Los Alamitos.

“He ran a good race, got out good, finished well,” Jones said. “It was his first race back coming from Ruidoso, so we were really pleased to see him come back and run like he’d been running here.

“He’s a really nice horse. He likes this track. He’s just been super here. At Ruidoso, he wasn’t quite acclimated, didn’t get there real early, had some trouble up there. He got back home and back on track.”

Kvn Corona’s wins over the Los Alamitos surface include the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity, a victory that helped him lock up champion 2-yearold colt honors of 2017. He went 6 for 6 during that season and this year is 4 for 6. Kvn Corona will break from post 10 under Ramon Sanchez.

“I’m really happy with the post draw on the outside,” said Jones.

Next year, Kvn Corona is scheduled to enter stud at Lazy E Ranch in Oklahoma.