Gallant Son, a six-length winner of the Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs last September, returns to action Saturday in the $100,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields.

Gallant Son and regular rider Leslie Mawing will break from post-position six in the field of seven 3-year-olds. Post time for the mile and one-sixteenth Cal Derby is approximately 4 p.m.

Idle since finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last October, Gallant Son has trained well at Golden Gate Fields, but trainer Frank Lucarelli cautioned that a more important objective is the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at a mile and one-eighth on Feb. 14.

"I'm not saying we're not trying and he can't win," Lucarelli said, "but the important thing is to get a good race into him."

Owned by Chris and Dianna Randall of Bellevue, Gallant Son won four races and three stakes at Emerald Downs last year. The Kentucky-bred colt by Malabar Gold is now being given the opportunity to prove he can compete with some of the West's better 3-year-olds.

The Cal Derby lineup includes: Chocolate Candy, a Jerry Hollendorfer-trained son of Candy Ride who finished third in the Grade I Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park last month; Feisty Suances, a front-runner who finished second in the California Breeders' Championship at Santa Anita last month, and Merus Miami, an undefeated Friends Lake colt who scored in the one-mile Gold Rush at Golden Gate on Dec. 20.

The field from the rail out with jockeys (all horses carry 121 pounds): Adriatic Moon, Frank Alvarado; Revoluta, Roberto Gonzalez; Feisty Suances, Chad Schvaneveldt; Merus Miami, Alex Bisono; Chocolate Candy, Russell Baze; Gallant Son, Mawing, and Axel Foley, Alonso Quinonez.

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