The Royal Music May Be Better in Long Run

A winner twice at 300 yards, The Royal Music will try to stretch her speed an additional 50 yards in tonight’s feature, a $20,000 claimer for 3-year-olds.

An Oklahoma-bred daughter of Royal Quick Dash owned and trained by Felix Gonzalez, The Royal Music beat $16,000 claimers -- in a dead heat -- on Dec. 13 and has been very consistent. In nine lifetime starts, she has been worse than third only twice. One of three fillies in the field of six, she will break from the outside post and be ridden by Carlos Bautista. The jockey was aboard when The Royal Music earned her first win Aug. 30.

The one to beat is probably A Choice Effort. Owned by Roberto Valencia and trained by Jose Antonio Flores, the Special Leader gelding is the only three-time winner in the lineup. He was a disappointing fifth at 5-2 in his most recent appearance Dec. 13, the same race The Royal Music won.

Completing the field are Turf Paradise shipper Easy Paso; Good Cop, who has been idle since beating maidens at Fairplex Park on Sept. 19, Tw Sheza Crackerjack and Propellant.

The picks: 1. Lucky Ole’. 2. Larks Rascal. 3. Ub In My Heart. 4. Night Time Dixie. 5. Rubbertigerpants. 6. Sam’s Dusty. 7. Highly Rated. 8. The Royal Music. 9. Mean Gene.

Four! Use Lucky Ole’ and Xelodonia in the first, Que Guapo and Larks Rascal in the second, Wendi Wednesday and Ub In My Heart in the third and Night Time Dixie and Mirobolant in the fourth.

Shots in the dark: Easy Paso, shipped in from Arizona, in the eighth. Mystical Sign stretches out for trainer Paul Jones in the ninth.

Post time: 5:30 p.m.

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