Winning Tonight Truly Would Be Special

Two weeks after being the fastest qualifier, A Mere Special will try for his first stakes victory tonight in the $144,000 El Primero Del Ano Derby.

A Grade II for 3-year-olds at 400 yards, the El Primero Del Ano features the 10 fastest qualifiers from the trials. A Mere Special qualified in 19.72 seconds.

Owned by Felix Gonzalez and trained by Adan Farias, the Strawfly Special gelding had been beaten in his first two starts, so he won his trial as a maiden.

Leading trainer Paul Jones qualified two for the Derby, including five-time winner Sum Special Strawfly and Corona Captain, who was beaten a neck by A Mere Special on April 11.

The picks: 1. Star’s Wild. 2. Illumine. 3. Subpoena. 4. Red Dirt Girl. 5. Wicked Mood. 6. First Down Affair. 7. Almost Never Late. 8. Sum Special Strawfly. 9. Adams County.

Four! Single Star’s Wild in the first, use Had Lee Dash, Illumine and Mir in the second, Subpoena and Wired To Win in the third and Red Dirt Girl, Red Hot Tarasco and Zack Again in the fourth.

Shots in the dark: Tennaco could make amends in the sixth after losing all chance at the break April 4. Billyjeanthequeen debuts for Jones in the seventh.

Post time: 7:15 p.m.

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