With the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the rearview, racing fans are looking ahead to the “Road to the Kentucky Derby”. There are qualifying races across the calendar over the next couple months with the Los Alamitos Futurity next up on the schedule.

The race will take place at Los Alamitos Race Course in California on December 9 and while the field isn’t finalized there are a number of top two-year-olds expected to compete. The track itself is a 1 1/16-mile dirt course which gone under its current title since 2014 and was formerly known as the CashCall Futurity-G1.

The Kentucky Derby betting race carries a purse of $300,000 and has seen six past winners go on to win the Kentucky Derby: Gato Del Sol (1982), Ferdinand (1986), Alysheba (1987), Thunder Gulch (1995), Real Quiet (1998), and Giacomo (2005). The Los Alamitos Futurity has also produced four Preakness winners in Snow Chief (1986), Real Quiet (1998), Point Given (2001) and Lookin at Lucky (2010) and Belmont champions in A. P. Indy (1992) and Point Given (2001).

Here’s a quick glance at some of the expected contenders for the 2017 Los Alamitos Futurity:

Solomini (+1,500 to win 2018 Kentucky Derby)
This horse should be among the race favorites when oddsmakers open betting on the Los Alamitos Futurity. Solomini finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, behind Good Magic (+800 to win 2018 Kentucky Derby). He also placed as the runner up in the FrontRunner Stakes-G1 Santa Anita back in September which was just his second career race following his maiden victory at Del Mar earlier that month. The Bob Baffert-trained horse still has some maturing to do as a race horse and has shown a tendency to act up and push for leads at the wrong time. Baffert has been known to swap jockeys and if he doesn’t see the results he wants from Solomini entering the New Year, he could look to chance riders.

McKinzie (+1,500 to win 2018 Kentucky Derby)
This horse has been slowly climbing the Kentucky Derby futures odds, thanks in part to his maiden win at Santa Anita in late October and the fact that this is another of Bob Baffert’s horses. Baffert has four Kentucky Derby titles under his belt along with six Preakness wins and two Belmont victories. McKinzie has some emotional ties to this race, having been named after Baffert’s friend and Los Alamitos Race Course executive Brad McKinzie, who died due to kidney cancer in early August. He was very impressive in his maiden, exploding off the turn to blow away the field by 5 1/2 lengths. This length will be a solid test for the inexperienced colt but it would make a great story to see McKinzie in the Winner’s Circle on December 9.

Instilled Regard (+6,000 to win 2018 Kentucky Derby)
This horse took three races to break its maiden but finally finished up front at Santa Anita in late October. Before that, he finished second and third, so he’s very much been on pace in all of his showings this year. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has yet to have success in any of the Triple Crown events and is best known for training now-legendary filly Songbird. It looks like the length of the race shouldn’t hinder this horse at all, with his recent win coming at 1 1/16 miles, and that could give him some value versus greener horses as this field rounds out.