Hallelujah Train Is on the Right Track

The hottest horse in action tonight at Los Alamitos is Hallelujah Train.

A 4-year-old gelding owned and trained by Jaime Gomez, Hallelujah Train has won three in a row and will step up in class again to take on $50,000 claimers at 300 yards in the seventh of eight races.

After losing 19 of his first 21 races, the Texas-bred started his streak with a nose victory Jan. 19, won by a half-length Feb. 8, then prevailed by a neck March 10.

All three victories have come since Alex Bautista started riding Hallelujah Train and he will be aboard again this evening.

Earlier in the program, Gomez will unveil Coup Of Corona, a promising 2-year-old filly by Corona Cartel out of the Coup De Kas mare Lethal Coup.

Owned by Celina and Corina Molina, the Oklahoma-bred has impressed in her drills and she will break from post four--in a field of seven--in tonight’s second at 300 yards. Her rider will be Bautista.

The picks: 1. Frog. 2. Coup Of Corona. 3. Ashren. 4. Masquerade Bawl. 5. Night Lines. 6. Icey Gambler. 7. Hallelujah Train. 8. Vallarta Royal.

Four! In the fifth, let’s use Night Lines, Shes A Royal Scat and Lost In Traffic, single Icey Gambler in the sixth, use Cool Brown Dasher and Hallelujah Train in the seventh and the entry of A Dash Of Romance and Vallarta Royal, Harley May and Stuff It Jazz in the eighth. Total cost: $18.

Shots in the dark: Danbrook gets a jockey upgrade to Bautista as he seeks his third lifetime win in the first and East Vali is a thoroughbred debuting against a weak field of maidens in an 870-yard contest in the fourth with a hot jockey (Ramon Guce) aboard.

Post time: 7:15 p.m.

On the Net: For entries and results from Los Alamitos, please visit: www.latimes.com/horseracing/