It’s Difficult Trying to Keep Up With Jones

Trainer Paul Jones will be a very busy man before the $206,000 Los Alamitos Winter Derby tonight.

Jones, who is winning at better than a 30% clip for the meet, will send out seven of the 10 entrants in the 400-yard Derby, a Grade 1.

Deefirst, a winner of five of 14, heads the Jones contingent. The son of First Down Dash was the fastest qualifier for the Derby. He won his trial heat by 1 1/2 lengths, completing the distance in 19.61 seconds under jockey Carlos Bautista, who will ride again tonight.

The picks: 1. Bluegrass Prince. 2. Blue Warrior. 3. Isolation. 4. Zipolator. 5. Catch You Later. 6. Siward. 7. Jeezers. 8. Zee Wayne. 9. Deefirst. 10. Magical Nick.

Four! Use Bluegrass Prince and the Control Freak-Juvie Dasher entry in the first, Star’s Wild and Blue Warrior in the second, Isolation and Traffic Attraction in the third, and Zipolator and Bunco Squad in the fourth.

Shots in the dark: No Chicks Here switches to jockey Alex Bautista in the fifth. Wire Ta Wire should improve second time at Los Alamitos for Jones in the seventh.

Post time: 6:30 p.m.

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