3 Wins in 3 Nights for Jones

Paul Jones, the leading quarter horse trainer in the country, made it three Grade 1 victories in as many nights when Deefirst, a 27-1 shot, won the $155,950 Southern California Derby on Sunday night at Los Alamitos.

Following upset victories by stablemates A Regal Choice in the Los Alamitos Million on Friday night and The Down Side in the Champion of Champions on Saturday, Deefirst outfinished Coronas Prospect, who is also trained by Jones, to win in 19.69 for the 400 yards.

Alejandro Luna, who was aboard A Regal Choice, rode the winner for Carlos Sosa’s Anjora Corp. Meteoric, the fastest qualifier and part of an entry along with Toasting My Dad, finished fifth. Meteoric is now zero for five in Grade 1 races.

A race later, Heros Call, part of a three-horse entry that was the 9-10 choice, saved ground and rallied to beat pacesetter Available Credit in the $175,000 Marathon National, the richest 870-yard race run in the country.

Trained by Laura Pinelli and ridden by Tyler Baze, the 3-year-old gelded son of thoroughbred sire Grand Slam, Heros Call completed the distance in a stakes record of 44.38 seconds. The old record was set by Sign Of Lanty when he won in 44.77 last year.

-- Bob Mieszerski

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Jockey Victor Espinoza lost out on a chance to ride in Sunday’s $2.3-million Hong Kong Mile when his scheduled mount, Sarafan, tested positive for an illegal steroid and was withdrawn from the race.

So Espinoza hustled back to Hollywood Park, and though his backup plan wasn’t potentially as lucrative, it still turned out to be an artistic success. Espinoza won three races Sunday, one of them with Valentine Dancer in the $105,300 Cat’s Cradle Handicap.

Trained by Craig Lewis, Valentine Dancer made up four lengths in the last eighth of a mile.

-- Bill Christine

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The Hong Kong race Espinoza missed was won by Lucky Owners. The richest race on the card, the $2.3-million Hong Kong Cup, went to Falbrav, ridden by Frankie Dettori. Falbrav, third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, will go to stud in Japan with more than $5 million in purses.

-- Bill Christine